On occasion of the Third Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Reduction a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the Centre for Disaster Risk Management and Development Studies (CDRM&DS), Nigeria providing to  a general framework for promoting collaboration between GRF Davos and the CDRM&DS in S&T areas of mutual interest and in University level education and PhD-programs.

CDRM&DS is a Training and Research Centre with the mission to enhance sustainable capacity for achieving an integrated understanding of Disaster Risk and its implications for sustainable development, and further the Universities image as a centre of excellence in knowledge creation and skills development, and also to train personnel at post-graduate level, who would in turn pass down knowledge and skills acquired to the lower cadre personnel.

Background

The combination of the world’s growing population with expanding urbanization, globalization and climate change has greatly aggravated the risk potential to all communities and nations. Both parties want to address the variety of risks that face communities, from natural hazards to technical and biological risks, from pandemics to terrorism – all across different political institutions, national and international organizations, countries and business sectors. The parties have expressed their mutual desire to promote further strategic co-operation and for that purpose, they agreed to undertake the present MoU.

The MoU will in particular focus on promoting new joint initiatives, through building on CDRM&DS’s specific targets and on the three pillars of GRF Davos, namely the Risk Academy, the International Disaster and Risk Conferences and Workshops (IDRC) and the Platform for Networks "Riskpla.net".