Understanding Risk: Producing Actionable Information

How can we communicate risk information in a way that leads decision makers to take concrete actions to reduce risk from adverse natural events? In June 2014, almost a thousand risk assessment experts and practitioners from around the world gathered in London to answer this question at the third biennial Understanding Risk (UR) Forum. Over a five-day period, the UR community— scientists, modellers, economists, psychologists, disaster risk management practitioners, and policy makers—explored better ways of “Producing Actionable Information.”

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Natural catastrophes worldwide 1980 -2013

Understanding Risk (UR) is a global community of almost 3,500 experts and practitioners in the field of disaster risk assessment. Every two years, the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) convenes the UR Forum—a five-day event to showcase best practices and the latest technical know-how in disaster risk assessment. The Forum provides organizations with the opportunity to highlight new activities and initiatives, build new partnerships, and foster advances in the field.

UR2014, the third biennial Forum, was held in London, UK, from June 30 to July 4, 2014. Under the theme “Producing Actionable Information,” participants explored the creation of risk information for decision making. Since our first UR Forum in 2010, the UR community has grown exponentially. Attendance at UR2014 was twice that of the previous UR Forum, held in South Africa. We are confident that future forums will continue to engage the disaster risk community, fostering the growth of partnerships to spur the advances in risk assessment needed for achieving sustainable development and building resilience.