ISEPEI and UNDP Joint "Innovations in Disaster Risk Reduction" workshop opening

CEU and UNDP continue their professional training program through the ISEPEI project focussing on the recent advances in information and communication technologies (ICTs). The workshop will assess how these advances are empowering both decision-makers and citizens to play a proactive role in managing disaster risk and providing a more effective response.

Global disaster risk reduction (DRR) professionals and experts gathered for the third time at Central European University (CEU) in Budapest this week for the joint ISEPEI and UNDP "Innovations in Disaster Risk Management" workshop. The workshop opened on July 24 at CEU with welcoming words from course directors Armen Grigoryan, Cluster Leader and Programme Advisor, Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change at UNDP, Regional Centre for Europe and CIS, Turkey and Viktor Lagutov, CEU, Hungary.

Combining regional UNDP experience, ICT industry expertise, and accumulated first-hand knowledge by this international community, both theoretical and practical skills will be offered in the field of disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. The workshop will continue until July 28, with a number of speakers representing several United Nations offices and programmes including UNDP, UNESCO, UN OCHA, UNOOSA, as well as a number of well-known organizations (Group on Earth Observations, Airbus, Google, Hexagon, ESRI), among others. Participants will be representing UNDP Country Offices as well as government agencies, environmental organizations, and civil society groups focused on disaster management and risk reduction.