Evidence-based disaster risk reduction
Background
Natural hazards such as drought, landslides and floods will increase worldwide in the future with more devastating effects than ever before. Interventions to increase resilience are complex. Disaster risk reduction (DRR) and development are closely related, and we need to understand how risks are created and how they can be reduced. It is therefore crucial to integrate DRR with equitable, sustainable and resilient development. Research on DRR contributes specifically to the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and Agenda 2030 (2015–2030), which set out the priorities for sustainable development.
Objective
The objective of the overall research project is to bring evidence to the question, whether community-based disaster risk reduction contributes to strengthen community resilience in disaster prone areas and to enhance the effectiveness of disaster mitigation.
Expected Benefits
- In partner country: If societies are not resilient, natural disasters can set them back decades in their development and destroy the basis of their livelihoods. This project aims to enhance the mitigation strategy of such populations, Switzerland being internationally renowned for its expertise in DRR in international settings.
- In Switzerland: By enhancing resilience of vulnerable populations forced mass migrations may be avoided, alleviating the socioeconomic burden elsewhere including in Europe and Switzerland.
Contact Infromation
Silvia Hostettler, , phone: +41 21 69 36 076
EPFL Sustainability and Cooperation & Development Center, EPFL