On 25 September, Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) announced Mr Qunli Han as its new Executive Director. Before joining IRDR, Qunli was the Secretary of the UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme and the Director of the Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences of UNESCO.
Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) is an international, multidisciplinary research initiative established to address the major challenges posed by natural and other hazards to the sustainable development agenda of the international communities.
“The complexity of the task requires a great effort of all to bring together and integrate research, expertise, data and knowledge crossing the natural, socio-economic, health and engineering sciences,” the IRDR wrote when making the announcement. “Qunli and his team in International Project Office (IPO) of IRDR are fully committed to work with all involved in IRDR and to bring forward this important international initiative with success.”
The former IRDR Executive Director, Professor Rajib Shaw, stepped down as IRDR Executive Director in March due to unforeseen personal circumstances. Prof Shaw remains a keen advocate of and contributor to disaster risk reduction science in his new post as professor at Keio University in Japan and a supporter of IRDR.
IRDR is a decade-long, interdisciplinary research programme seeking to address the challenges brought by natural hazard events, mitigate their impacts, and improve related policy-making mechanisms.
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