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^th September -  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