Organized and hosted by the Global Risk Forum[1] The International Disaster and Risk Conference IDRC is a global gathering of experts for risk reduction, disaster management, and climate change adaptation. IDRCs are held as a biennial conference in Davos, Switzerland and complemented every other year with regional conferences hosted in different regions of the world and endorse the UN-ISDR Global Platform meetings (GP in 2007, 2009, and 2011).
The IDRC conferences promote the integral risk management approach – across subject areas, professions, and sectors – encompassing scientific understanding with business, policy responses, the media and citizen participation. The IDRCs encourage stronger ties with adequate public-private partnership models and devising approaches for moving towards a more truly integrative way of thinking about disaster and risks.
Additional conferences and workshops dealing with specific disaster and risk topics may be organized in Davos or elsewhere. The conferences and workshops aim to provide solutions for effective and efficient global disaster and risk management and climate change adaptation. These issues need the involvement of all stakeholders of the public and the private sector.
Originally organized by the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, since 2007 IDRCs are organised by the Global Risk Forum GRF Davos. Patronage of IDRC include the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC, UN organisations such as UNESCO, UN ISDR, UNDP and UNEP as well as the private sector SWISS RE.
IDRC conferences and workshops contribute to harmonizing risk reduction and disaster management with climate change adaptation measures. The IDRC Conferences provide an ideal platform for assessment and dissemination activities, as well as for networking activities.
The last IDRC conference was held in Davos from 30 May to 3 June 2010 under the title "Risk, Disasters, Crisis and Global Change – From Threats to Sustainable Opportunities".
| Year | Location | Conference |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Davos, Switzerland | 1st International Disaster Reduction Conference – IDRC Davos 2006 |
| 2007 | Harbin, China | 1st regional International Disaster Reduction Conference – IDRC Harbin 2007 |
| 2008 | Davos, Switzerland | 2nd International Disaster Reduction Conference IDRC Davos 2008 "Public-Private Partnership – key for integral risk management and climate change mitigation and adaptation" |
| 2009 | Chengdu, China | 2nd regional International Disaster Reduction Conference IDRC Chengdu 2007 "Wengchuan Earthquake, the path forward" |
| 2010 | Davos, Switzerland | 3rd International Disaster Reduction Conference IDRC Davos 2010 "Risk, Disasters, Crisis and Global Change – From Threats to Sustainable Opportunities" |