Dr. Saini Yang (second from left), Executive Director of the IRDR programme, welcomes Ms. Nomalungelo Gina (third from left), Deputy Minister of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation of South Africa, and her delegation to the IRDR IPO

5 December 2025 – Ms. Nomalungelo Gina, Deputy Minister of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation of the Republic of South Africa, visited the International Programme Office (IPO) of the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) programme during her visit to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Dr. Saini Yang, Executive Director of IRDR, welcomed the delegation and introduced them to the missions, core research areas, and activities of IRDR in advancing integrated disaster risk research and science-informed decision-making. Ms. Gina emphasized the importance of disaster risk to sustainable development in South Africa and pointed out the domains for partnership with IRDR, especially in disaster risk assessment and capacity building for young professionals.

This visit strengthens mutual understanding between IRDR and South Africa's science and technology innovation sector, laying a solid foundation for potential future collaborations in the field of disaster risk science.