5th World Congress on Disaster Management

Spiralling risks of disasters and persistent adverse impacts of disasters on the lives, livelihoods, economy and environment have posed serious threats to sustainable development. Rapid onset catastrophic disasters like earthquake, tsunami, volcanoes, cyclone and flash flood erode in a matter of few minutes and hours hard-earned gains of development of years and decades. Slow onset creeping disasters like drought engulf large areas of developing countries threatening food security, livelihood, nutrition and health of the vulnerable communities including women and children. The recurring disasters of flood, landslides, cloud bursts, hailstorms, heat and cold waves, forest fires, pest attacks, epidemics and technological disasters of mining, industrial and transport-related accidents cause innumerable losses of lives, assets, wealth and economy. Climate change is compounding the risks through its impact on increasing frequency and intensity of disasters. Now the deadly pandemics of COVID-19, affecting communities and countries across regions, killing people, and disrupting society and economy have added another dimension to the complex risks of disasters.

As per the global database of disasters, during the past two decades there were as many as 12732 disasters in which 1.47 million people lost their lives, 3.9 billion people were affected adversely, and economic losses of USD 2.47 trillion was suffered around the world. These could very well be conservative estimates as the global database does not include disasters in which either less than 10 lives were lost and/or less than 100 per were affected. Further, estimation of economic losses does not include either opportunity costs of disasters such as productions that did not take place or tourists who could not travel due to disasters or damages that are difficult to quantify such as psycho-social damages or damages to natural and cultural heritage or environment and eco-system services.

In this backdrop the Fifth World Congress on Disaster Management (WCDM-2021) is being organised in New Delhi from 24th to 27th November 2021 to deliberate on three critical issues that pose the most serious challenges as well as hold the best possible promises of building resilience to disasters. These are Technology, Finance, and Capacity (TFC).

WCDM-2021 is being organised jointly by Disaster Management Initiatives and Convergence Society (DMICS),Hyderabad and Government of National Capital Territory (GNCT) of Delhi, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and in collaboration with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM).

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WCDM has emerged as the largest global conference on disaster management outside the UN system.