HSRC, MSU and partners to host risk and disaster management conference

The 2022 event comes in the aftermath of the devastating social, economic and environmental effects of various interlinked crises, according to the HSCR and its partners.

This is including:

• the Covid-19 pandemic
• droughts
• famine
• cyclones
• the recent flooding in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and
• numerous global armed conflicts and wars.

The Victoria Falls conference seeks to harness the broad, interdisciplinary expertise of the delegates to build networks and discuss the most pressing issues in disaster risk research across the academic and practical disciplines.

Over 150 delegates from different regions of Africa are expected to participate in the conference physically and virtually.

According to the HSRC’s Dr Konosoang Sobane, the significance of disaster management is expressed in:

• the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals
• the Sendai Framework
• Africa Agenda 2063, and
• various national constitutions.

“A 360-degree interdisciplinary exploration of the dynamics and risks associated with disasters is necessary to develop effective strategies and responses to the disaster phenomenon,” concludes Sobane.

Presenters from different regions of the continent will focus on thematic areas such as:

• business continuity
• public health risk management
• resilient critical infrastructure
• indigenous knowledge for disaster risk reduction
• disaster modelling
• surveillance and remote sensing
• the nexus between disasters and development
• disaster risks
• monitoring and mitigation
• community response
• recovery, and
• resilience building.

The hybrid conference is organised in collaboration with:

• the Tugwi Mukosi Multidisciplinary Research Institute of the MSU
• HSRC of South Africa
• National Disaster Management of Africa
• the Civil Protection Unit of Zimbabwe, and
• the HSRC’s Africa Institute of South Africa.

The following entities will be afforded the opportunity to exhibit their products and network in one place:

• policymakers
• disaster specialists
• researchers
• academia
• scholars
• think tanks
• civil society organisations
• business, and
• humanitarian organisations.

For more information, visit www.hsrc.ac.za. You can also follow the HSRC on Facebook or on Twitter.