Between December 14^th and 15^th, 2019, the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) held the First Preparatory Meeting of International Association for Disaster Reduction, with more than 40 experts and scholars from China, Japan, the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Russia, Tajikistan, Mexico, Mongolia, Pakistan, Nepal, the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Madagascar and Venezuela attending the meeting. Saidov, Vice President of Tajikistan Academy of Sciences and Director of Dushanbe Branch, Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia (RCEECA), and Liu Wenjiang, Executive Deputy Director of RCEECA were invited to attend the preparatory meeting.

Natural disasters have caused serious impacts and huge losses to human and natural systems, as well as social and economic development. The intensity and frequency of disasters happened under climate change have increased gradually. To serve for and achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, an inter-disciplinary, cross-departmental, multi-party involved academic exchange platform will be built for professionals in disaster reduction to share knowledge and experience, promote scientific and technological cooperation, boost disciplinary development, raise risk awareness and enhance public education level. For this purpose, Academician Cui Peng of CAS and Professor Rajib Shaw of Keio University in Japan took the lead to initiate the preparatory work of “International Association for Disaster Reduction”.

At the preparatory meeting, Academician Cui Peng made a detailed introduction about the background significance, nature and positioning, development planning, organizational structure, working content of the association, as well as the feedback and suggestions put forward by previous discussions and expert consultation. Representatives at the meeting conducted discussions on the content of Charter of Association, state/regional representatives, specialized committees, working plans, etc., and accepted the Charter of Association with unanimous approval.

Liu Wenjiang introduced the existing platform facilities of RCEECA in Central Asia region, while Saidov presented the mountain hazard situation in Tajikistan. RCEECA will act as the representative in Central Asia region of the International Association for Disaster Reduction to coordinate and organize the related work and activities in this region.

Meeting scene

Academician Cui Peng gives a report

Group photo of representatives