INTEGRATED RESEARCH ON DISASTER RISK (IRDR)

Second Meeting of the Scientific Committee

ICSU Headquarters, Paris

21-23 October 2009

Revised Agenda

Wednesday, 21 October

12:30 Lunch 14:00

1. Opening of meeting and Introduction of new participants. Changes in Committee membership.

14:10

2. Approval of Draft Agenda

14:15

3. Summary Report of First Meeting, and matters arising not treated elsewhere

14:30

4. Open discussion on collaboration possibilities – feedback from Members

[Committee members were encouraged to look at big supranational and national projects in their areas, make informal links with potential partners, without commitment, and report back to the Committee with a view to a finite number of more formal arrangements being made.]

4.1. Specific initiatives:

4.1.1 Cooperation in research on weather and climate extremes and their role in disasters: development of agreements with WWRP and WCRP. (GMcB, Len Barrie)

4.1.2 Joint socio-economic research activity (to be developed in collaboration with WWRP’s Working Group on Societal and Economic Research and Applications (WG- SERA) of WMO) – report on preliminary discussions with Co-Chair, Brian Mills (GMcB)

4.1.3. Cooperation with Red Cross International. (GMcB)

15:15

5. Creation of IRDR Working Groups and their terms of reference

Successive discussions on each theme, after introductory remarks or proposals from the assigned Group Leaders.

5.1 Case studies and demonstration projects, scenarios and forensic investigations (GMcB)

16:00 Tea

16:30

5.2 Decision-making, planning resilience (RE)

17:00

5.3 Long-term database and monitoring systems and tools, with an assessment of capacity of data sets to meet research needs. Interaction with Subcommittee of ISDR-STC (Susan Cutter)

17:30 Meeting adjourns

Thursday 22 October

09:00

6. Regional programmes on hazards and disasters, and their articulation with IRDR

6.1. Preliminary analysis of the three ICSU Regional initiatives. (AL)

6.2. Report on ICSU 3rd Regional Consultation for Asia and the Pacific as it referred to disaster plans. (DJ)

10:00

7. Cooperation with the ISDR system

7.1 Possible mechanisms for collaboration and exchange with ISDR Scientific and Technical Committee charged with providing “strategic guidance on research needs for disaster risk reduction and oversight of progress”. (RB)

10:45 Coffee

11.15

9. IPCC Special Report on Climate Extremes (contd)

9.1. Opportunities and challenges for IRDR. (GMcB)

11.30

Creation of IRDR Working Groups and their terms of reference (contd)

5.4 Vulnerability and risk – quantification and modelling (OR)

12.00

5.5 Rapid development of IRDR flagship project on people, risk and human vulnerabilities (GMcB) 12.30

8. Capacity building

8.1 Report on discussions with START (the global change SysTem for Analysis, Research and Training) on cooperation in capacity building and research in developing countries. (GMcB)

8.2 Brief appraisal of Latin American capacity-building possibilities for IRDR (including collaboration with Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research). (AL, ODC)

13:00 Lunch

14:00

8. Capacity building (contd)

14.15

10. International Programme Office

10.1 Report on site visits carried out to Beijing (3-5 August 2009) and Taipei (5-7 August 2009) and recommendations to co-sponsors. (HM)

10.2 Appointment of IPO staff, and especially IRDR Executive Director. Ideal profile(s). Recruitment procedure and timing. Draft announcement. (HM)

14:45

11. IRDR-designated international centres

11.1 Possible establishment of modest network of IRDR-designated international centres for excellence in research (or some similar name), nationally supported but with international visiting researchers; participants to focus on integrating across a subsection of the IRDR areas. (GMcB)

15:15 Tea

16.15

National Committees for IRDR

14.1 Draft text for use in promoting the creation of National Committees. (HM)

16 45

13. Promotion of IRDR and its objectives

13.1 Outreach and promotional materials – draft text for flyer and draft Powerpoint presentation for use by Committee members. IRDR logo. (HM)

17:30 Meeting adjourns

19:00 Committee Dinner

Friday 23 October

09:00

12. Group on Earth Observations GEO)

Presentation by Dr José Achache, Director of GEO Secretariat, on GEO and the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), and collaboration in the field of hazards.