BEIJING—The inauguration ceremony for the IRDR International Programme Office (IRDR IPO) was held in Beijing on November 18, 2010. IRDR-IPO will be a platform for disaster risk researchers to participate in international programs and function as an impetus for closer integration and communication between research institutions and governments, according to Deliang Chen, Executive Director of the International Council for Science (ICSU).
Approved in the 29th ICSU General Assembly, IRDR is a new 10-year international research programme aiming to serve the growing global needs in addressing disasters and reducing disaster risk. ICSU announced on November 13, 2009 that the IRDR IPO would be established in China, located at the Headquarters of CEODE, making it the first international office of a major science programme ever established in Asia. It will focus on scientific characterization of the hazards and risks, the understanding of decision-making in complex and changing risk contexts, and the reduction of risks and losses through knowledge-based actions. Chunli Bai, Executive Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, expressed that CAS would take up the mission to improve China’s level in major disaster monitoring, warning, prevention, and mitigation via technological innovation.
