From 24 to 29 August, more than 1,000 risk and disaster experts, practitioners and government officials from over 100 countries convened in Davos, Switzerland for the 5th Annual International Disaster Risk Conference (IDRC). During the conference, UNEP unveiled its latest effort to build resilience to the growing challenge of disaster risk with the introduction of the first-ever Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on ecosystem-based disaster risk.

The MOOC aims to broaden awareness on the different tools available beyond concrete or engineered solutions by demonstrating how climate change, disasters, and the environment are linked. Featuring 20 hours of video lectures, guest lectures from world leaders and real-life case studies, it targets policymakers and decision makers, practitioners, experts, as well as the wider public. The MOOC was made possible by UNEP, through its Global Universities Partnership on Environment for Sustainability (GUPES), and Cologne University of Applied Sciences (CUAS), Germany. It is an outcome of the longstanding collaboration between UNEP and the Centre for Natural Resources and Development, a consortium of 11 universities from around the world that is coordinated by the Cologne University of Applied Sciences (CUAS) in Germany.

On 26 August, UNEP and the Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (PEDRR) also hosted an interactive panel discussion on “Bridging disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation through ecosystem management” at a side event during the conference. The aimed to demonstrate through field projects how ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction and adaptation are building resilience in communities worldwide.

More information: here