2022 Asia Pacific Science and Technology Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction

CCOUC Director Prof Emily Chan participated in the Policy Forum: Sendai Framework and Science and Technology Aspirations in the Asia Pacific Region in the 2022 Asia Pacific Science and Technology Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in the Philippines on 7-8 April 2022. The conference was jointly organised by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), UNDRR Asia Pacific Science Technology Advisory Group and the Government of Philippines in a blended mode of both online and face-to-face.

The conference aimed to share experiences on the use of science and technology to address compound, cascading and systemic risk, foster exchanges on the contribution of science and technology to inclusive risk government, to define the contribution of the Asia Pacific region to the implementation of global frameworks and roadmaps related to science and technology for disaster risk reduction, and to review the contribution of science and technology in the region to the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction to be reflected in the Mid-Term Review of the Sendai Framework.

Prof Chan is a co-chair and a co-moderator of Technical Session 6: Cascading (including NATECH), Compound and Systemic Risks. The session shared the experiences in applying the Asia-Pacific Regional Framework for NATECH Risk Management and discuss (i) strengthening regional exchange on disaster risk information and science in order to better understand complex disaster risks, including risks of transboundary, cascading, and compound disasters and (ii) transdisciplinary research to enhance understanding of disaster risk at different temporal and spatial scales ensuring cascading, compound and systemic risk.

The outcome of the policy forum included a declaration and a report “Status of Science and Technology in Disaster Risk Reduction in Asia-Pacific”. The report can be downloaded here.