Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) conference concludes
The first major conference convened under the auspices of the IRDR programme came to a close with the adoption of the 2011 Beijing Declaration for Integrated Research on Disaster Risk. The newly appointed Chair of the IRDR Scientific Committee, Sálvano Briceño, presented the document to delegates during the closing plenary on the third and final day of an event that had attracted over 300 participants from 24 countries.
The Declaration calls for commitments in key areas identified at the conference and in previous forums, naming integration, research collaboration, global standards, raising awareness, education, and increasing funding as priorities. It also recognizes potential applications relating to the IRDR Working Groups, policy-making and advocacy processes, recommendations from the IPCC Special Report on Managing the Risk of Extreme Events, and preparation of the 2013 UN Global Assessment Report on Disaster Reduction.
