News and Events

2016

September

Proposed 10th DwD in Bangladesh (subject to confirmation)

10th DwD Conference in Collaboration with International Peace Research Association, Freetown, Sierra Leone November.

May 2016

World Humanitarian Summit – Affiliate roles (details to follow late 2015)

2015

Throughout 2015

The Disaster, Development and Resilience (DDR) Research Group will hold regular meetings throughout 2015 to develop Northumbria University research in DDR related topics, also to build on recent successes reflected in REF 2014.

The current cohort of MSc Students associated with this field have formed the Disaster Management and Sustainable Development Society with support of the Northumbria Students Union – this will collaborate with the DDN and other student centred actions, including for Alumni and professional development.

October

Endorsing Partner and Scientific Advisory institution to the 3rd Global Risk Forum, One Health Summit, Davos, Switzerland 4th-7th October.

DDN partner institution for the IDRiM Society Annual Conference, Mumbai, India 28th-30th October.

September

17^th – 18^th September - 9th Dealing with Disasters (DwD) Conference, Northumbria University. ‘Health Centred Disaster Risk Reduction – A New Agenda for a New Era’ – together with supporting partners.

16^th September – Disaster Management and Sustainable Development Alumin event and reception. This marks the 15th Anniversary of the Northumbria University Postgraduate Programme in Disaster Management and Sustainable Development

March

As Accredited Partner of United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) since 2004, DDN/Northumbria has assisted in drafting global policy items to be ratified in March 2015. We are in particular assisting with High Level Working Groups on; i) Standards for Disaster Risk Reduction, ii) Reducing the Risk of Epidemics and Pandemics and iii) Disaster Risk Management for Healthy Societies. DDN input is also includes for two Public Forum Events; iv) Protecting People’s Health from Disaster Risk (design alongside WHO and delivery) and v) Emerging Trends in Disaster Risk Reduction (Co-Chair). A DDN delegation will participate in the outcome of this in Sendai, Japan March 2015

3^rd –10th March 2015 - Visiting Scholar: Professor Norio Okada – Kwansai University, Japan. Prof. Okada is appointed Northumbria Visiting Professor as from 2013 – he is President of IDRiM Society amongst various roles as expert in Systems Analysis of Disaster Risk and other specialist fields.

13^th – 18^th March - DDN delegation to the United Nations for WCDR @ Sendai

19^th – 20^th March - Partner to Second Global Summit of Research Institutes for Disaster Risk Reduction (GSRIDRR): “Development of a Research Road Map for the Next Decade”, Kyoto University 19th and 20th March. This event is organized by Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI) of Kyoto University in collaboration with the Japan Council of Natural Disaster Research (JCNDR).

Disasters and Awareness Day - Newcastle College are keen to collaborate with the DDN/Northumbria and Geography Department and Geographical Association in developing an initiative for improving the ‘Youth Voice’ in Sustainability and Disaster Reduction. The concept is to develop and incorporate the strand of Disaster and Development Studies into colleges, schools and civil society and then back into the university. The proposed next step is for a ‘Collaborative Disaster Awareness Day’ including 4 workshops on the 25^thMarch 2015, focusing on Ebola and/or other core cases.

Disaster Anthropology at the American Society for Applied Anthropology – details to follow.

February

Feb or Apr 2015: (date to be confirmed) – Professor David Alexander – Visit and Seminar to Geography Department/DDN. Prof. Alexander, University College London and Visiting Scholar to Northumbria. He is long-time Associate of DDN activity and Editor in Chief of the recently established and rapidly ascending International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction – Elsevier, also being long term Associate Editor of Disasters.

17^th February - Institutional Visit: Circa 17th February: Visit from delegation of the Indiana University School of Nursing for exploratory means to forming collaboration for health and medicine in disaster management – a link to the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences will be explored in connection with this visit.

5^th – 6^thFebruary - UK Science and Innovation Network (SIN) and Research Councils UK (RCUK) – Inputs to UK-US Social Responses to Emergencies Workshop, Miami, Florida (RCUK invite)

2014

December

11^th – 12^th December - DDN provided opening Expert inputs to the ‘Changing Disasters Programme’ workshops and International Master Class of University of Copenhagen, Denmark 11^th-12^th December. This input focussed on ‘Health Centred DRR’. Copenhagen are setting up a study programme not dissimilar to the Northumbria emphasis and would therefore like to collaborate further with us.

November

13^th November & 21^st November - The Global Health Forum North East and Young Humanitarian Practice Network are local initiatives hosted by Newcastle University and supported by Durham University. These have requested to partner with the DDN expanding the link to Northumbria. Invited research presentations were initiated this Semester for Northumbria via inputs to the Global Health Conference of the Global Health Forum (21^st November) and Young Humanitarian Practice Network Seminar series, Newcastle University, 13^th November.

Nov 2014–Feb 2015 - Visiting Scholar: Dr. Md. Anwarul Abedin - British Council Researcher Links Scholar and Associate Professor at the Department of Soil Science at Bangladesh Agricultural University studying ‘Climate Change, Water Insecurity and Health Adaptation in Southwestern Bangladesh’.

October

The United Kingdom Collaborative for Development Studies (UKCDS) and Research Councils UK are setting up Disaster Risk Reduction Research Network (D3RN) with which the DDN are collaborating. The purpose is to develop a more coordinated voice from the UK research and development base for disaster risk reduction research in the national and global arena. Whilst the DDN (and its forerunners) were recognised by UKCDS/RCUK as a pioneering UK university initiative in this field, D3RN must be independent of any one University. DDN will be represented through Steering Committee / Board membership alongside other Leaders from King’s College London, British Geological Survey, Bristol and Southampton Universities. Northumbria will host an early meeting of D3RN also with the possibility to link D3RN to a future DwD Conference should Northumbria wish to pursue that.

5^th – 8^th October (Founding) Supporting Partnership (and Membership of Scientific Advisory Committee): 3rd One Health Conference, Global Risk Forum (GRF), Davos, Switzerland

14^th October & 3rd November - DDN internal and external Affiliates delivered x2 open lectures with accompanying debates to this semester’s Durham University Institute of Hazard and Risk Research (IHRR) Seminar Series. The topics where ‘What next for hazard, risk and resilience in society?’ by Collins, 14^th Oct and on ‘Resilience for the people … but where are the people?’ by Manyena, 3^rd Nov.

30^th October – 1^st November - The DDN ongoing collaboration with the Integrated Disaster Risk Management Society (IDRiM) included being represented in its Board and Scientific Advisory Committees and inputs to The Fourth Conference of this Society on ‘Building Disaster Resilient Communities’ that took place in London Ontario, Canada 30^th October – 1^st November.

September

9^th – 11^th September - 2nd ANDROID Building Resilience Conference (EU and UNISDR) – Project Partner and Lead of Doctoral Training School, 9th-11th Sept.

17^th - 18^thSeptember - Our 8th Dealing with Disasters (DwD) conference focussed on ‘Resilience as Everybody’s Business’ as a combined event with the Disaster Management Institute of Southern Africa (DMISA) in collaboration with Ethlekweni Municipality, National Disaster Management Centre of South Africa, South African Weather Service, Local Government Association of South Africa and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) that took place at Ethlekweni, South Africa, 17th-18th September. The event, which was attended by some three hundred participants from around the region, included local emergency management representatives from all provinces of South Africa and neighbouring country representatives. The event was opened by the ANC government Minister for Traditional Affairs and municipality officials. DDN input included an opening Keynote on ‘resilience and beyond as everybody’s business’. A session was headed by United Nations All Africa and Middle East Representative for the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR). Arrangements for Dealing with Disasters (DwD) 2015 and 2016 are underway and will require Affiliate’s support as we move into the new Year.

18^th – 19^th September - DDN based Scientific Committee Memberships were also variously represented in other conference circuits, such as for example ‘10th Environmental Legislation, Safety Engineering and Disaster Management ELSEDIMA International Conference’, Babes-Bolyai University, Romania

DDN continues a prominent role in the Chairing of Steering Group and in the Commissioning Panels of ELRHA Humanitarian Innovation Fund (HIF) (www.elrha.org) that is supported through 16 million of funds from Welcome Trust, DFID and SIDA including additional add hock initiatives under the emergency rapid response funds for research on the Ebola crisis in West Africa. ELRHA Secretariat are currently DDN Affiliates helping facilitate linkage with the Academy.

August

24^th – 28^th August - Long-term Supporting Partner (and Scientific and Technical Advisory Board Membership) ‘International Disaster and Risk Conference’ (IDRC), Davos, Switzerland - http://www.idrc.info/

July

13^th – 19^th - * (2014) Session Convenor and Institutional Chair: ‘Disaster and Development Discourses, Policies and Practice’, Research Committee 39 on the Sociology of Disasters, XVIII ISA World Congress of Sociology, Facing an Unequal World: Challenges for Global Sociology, Yokohama, Japan, 13th-19th July. (papers from India, Nigeria, Finland, Sweden and New Zealand and Japan)

June

16^th – 18^th - International Scientific Advisory Board (+ incoming partnership proposal): 23rd Society for Risk Analysis – Europe (SRA-E) Conference, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey

April

3^rd – 4^th April - Session Chair and collaborative openings: ‘Technologies of Identification and Responses to Mass Death’, Policy, Ethics and Life Sciences (PEALS) 15th Annual International Symposium together with Northumbria University Centre for Forensic Science, Newcastle University, UK, 3rd–4th April.

March

18^th – 22^nd March - Partnership openings - ‘Capacity Development and Disaster’, Society for Applied Anthropology 2014 Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

2013

November

17^th – 20^th November Supporting Partner Organisation, Founding Member of Scientific Advisory Committee and Keynotes - ‘2nd One Health Summit, One Health – One Planet – One Future: Risks and Opportunities’, Global Risk Forum, Davos, Switzerland

September

4^th – 6^th September - Hosting and Organising Institution, Co-Leadership with IDRiM Society, Session and Speaker Inputs - ‘The Combined Dealing with Disasters and 3rd Conference of the Integrated Disaster Risk Management Society (IDRiM)’, Northumbria University

August

21^st – 23^rd August - Chief Editorship and editorships of Hosting Journal, Organising Committee and Keynote Inputs - ‘Biosecurity and Disasters - Natural Disasters-2013’ Conference of the Journal of Geography and Natural Disasters, Orlando, Florida, USA

July

11^th – 12^th July - Speaker Roles and output from Research Collaboration group at Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies (ZiF), Bielefeld University - Cultures and Disasters II - ‘Exploring the Links between Disasters and Culture(s) - Preparedness, Response, Policies’, Institute of Geography, University of Erlangen-Nuernberg, Germany

June

13^th – 14^th June - Invited Collaboration and Speaker Inputs - ‘UCL Workshop on Higher Education Institutions and Disaster Risk Reduction Education’, London, 13th-14th June.

May

19^th – 23^rd May - Accredited Partner Delegation and Input - Session of the ‘Global Platform of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction’, UNISDR (UNISDR), Geneva. (Andrew for details)

22^nd – 24^th May - Speaker Inputs and Invited Research Collaboration -‘Global Change and Resilience Conference’, Brno, Czech Republic, 22nd-24th May. (Mehdee for details)

March

11^th – 13^th March - Founding Partner Centre and Keynote Speaker Inputs - ‘Second Global Symposium of Disasters Centres and Institutes’, Kyoto University, Japan

18^th – 23^rd March - Invited Speakers - ‘Building Healthy, Resilient Communities to Face Environmental and Disaster Threats’, a Session of the Society for Applied Anthropology 2013 Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado, USA 18th-23rd March.

19^th – 20^th March - Co-Hosting Institution and Speaker Inputs - ANDROID Disaster Resilience Network ‘Online Doctoral School’, Virtual (Srinath for details)

26h – 27^th March - Founding Partner / Project Co-Host with Bindura and BRAC Universities and Speaker Inputs -‘International Conference on Disaster Education and Community Resilience’, Bindura University of Science Education, Zimbabwe (Bernard for details)

28^th March - Joint Host with The Japan Foundation -‘Learning from the Recent Past: Local Responses to The Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011’. Northumbria University, (Komal for details)

February

14^th – 15^th February - Collaborative Research Group and Invited Speaker Inputs - EO2Heaven Cholera Symposium - ‘Establishment of Global Cholera Early Warning’, hosted by CSIR, South Africa, participated by WHO and NOAA, Berg-en-Dal-Camp, South Africa.