Members of the IRDR Scientific Committee deliberate matters on the first day of the three-day meeting.
The first day of the annual meeting of the IRDR Scientific Committee, and the 29th since the programme began in 2010, opened on 19 October 2026 at the Headquarters of International Science and Technology Organizations (ISTO HQ) in Beijing, China.
The first day of the annual meeting of the IRDR Scientific Committee, and the 29th since the programme began in 2010, opened on 19 October 2026 at the Headquarters of International Science and Technology Organizations (ISTO HQ) in Beijing, China.
The SC brings together international experts in disaster and risk reduction, selected on the basis of their standing in the international scientific community and their commitment to the strategic objectives of IRDR.
SC29 and the Programme's Phase II Agenda
SC29 serves as the principal governance moment for advancing the programme's Phase II agenda. The meeting provides the Scientific Committee with the opportunity to review progress on the IRDR Action Plan 2025-2027 and to deliberate on the programme's strategic direction in the context of the Sendai Framework and the post-2030 sustainable development agenda.
The opening session heard welcomes from the SC Chair, the Executive Director and the host of IRDR, followed by adoption of the SC29 agenda and the SC28 meeting minutes. Messages from the Oversight Committee — ISC, UNDRR and AIR — set out expectations and potential resources from co-sponsors and the host, and members received updates from the Executive Director on specific developments since SC28.
The Beijing Science Dialogue and IRDR's Satellite Symposium
In the afternoon, SC members attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Science Dialogue, which runs from 19 to 21 October under the theme "Science in a Complex World – Science for a Better Future". Their participation underscores IRDR's commitment to positioning disaster risk science within the broader international science-policy architecture.
A flagship component of the 2026 International Science Council (ISC) Midterm Members' Meeting, the Beijing Science Dialogue provides the backdrop for SC29, positioning disaster risk science within the wider international science-policy agenda.
On Tuesday, 20 October, IRDR will host a satellite symposium on "Science, Data and Partnerships for Disaster Risk Reduction", bringing together leading researchers, policymakers and practitioners from across the globe to examine how scientific knowledge, data and international research partnerships can strengthen disaster risk reduction (DRR) in a rapidly changing world.
SC29 Meeting Continues
The 29th SC meeting is scheduled to continue alongside the Beijing Science Dialogue until 22 October 2026, with outcomes expected to shape IRDR's research and policy engagement through the coming biennium.
