International Council for Science (ICSU), the International Social Science Council (ISSC), and the U.N. International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN-ISDR) have created a new, major international programme – Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) – that seeks to address the challenges posed by natural and human-induced environmental hazards. The complexity of the task is such that it requires nothing less than the full integration of the natural, social, health, and engineering sciences. This, coupled with socio-economic analysis, understanding the role of communications, and understanding public and political response in risk reduction, takes IRDR beyond approaches that have traditionally been undertaken. Objectives The IRDR programme has three research objectives: • Characterization of hazards, vulnerability, and risk; • Understanding decision-making in complex and changing risk contexts; • Reducing risk and curbing losses through knowledge-based actions. Three cross-cutting themes support these objectives: • Capacity building, including mapping capacity for disaster reduction and building self-sustaining capacity at various levels for different hazards; • Development of case studies and demonstration projects; and • Assessment, data management, and monitoring of hazards, risks, and disasters.
