In partnership with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction’s (UNDRR) Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean, Belmont hosted the Tech4DRR workshop last week, welcoming stakeholders from the private and public sector, government, academia, the non-profit community and more. For two days, this group gathered to find innovative solutions using technology to reduce disaster risk.
“At the heart of who we are as an educational institution is preparing leaders to find creative solutions to complex problems and to be radical champions for the flourishing of all people,” said Belmont University President, Dr. Greg Jones. “By working together and cutting across public and private sector and education, we are going to find ways to produce breakthroughs that we need for the long-term future, and that’s what this gathering is about.”
Disasters, both natural and human-made, have significant impacts on communities, economies and the environment. As disaster frequency and intensity continues to increase, leveraging technology for effective disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies is crucial. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030) recognizes the importance of using technology to strengthen disaster resilience and calls for collaborative efforts between diverse stakeholders.
Prior to the workshop, UNDRR issued a survey to shareholders within the region to gather insights and understand their perspectives on the role of technology in disaster risk reduction. UNDRR is currently developing a special report from both survey findings and workshop outcomes, to be shared with key stakeholders and policymakers to drive DRR advancements in the Americas and the Caribbean. Workshop participants discussed the report at length, including key themes from a recent DRR survey, types of technology to consider and more.
The workshop accomplished four main objectives:
- Provided space for groups to share technology-related knowledge for reducing disaster risk.
- Identified key opportunities and challenges in using technology for DRR, aligned with the Sendai Framework.
- Created principles for using technology in responsible and equitable ways to reduce disaster risk.
- Fostered partnerships and collaboration between stakeholders to promote implementation of tech-based DRR solutions.
Left to right: Belmont University President, Dr. Greg Jones; UNDRR Chief of the Regional Office of the Americas and the Caribbean, Nahuel Arenas García; Professor of Public Health and Global Initiatives in the Frist College of Medicine, Dr. Ben Ryan
"The first tangible outcome of the workshop is people being together. We've set up a network now where people are ready to go; they're active," said Dr. Ben Ryan, professor of public health and global initiatives in the Frist College of Medicine. "It really sets a foundation for us to move forward toward some really tangible outcomes, so that we can scale the benefits of technology to reduce disaster risk."
In addition to hosting the Tech4DRR conference, Belmont recently joined ARISE-US, the private sector alliance for disaster resilient societies. This alliance underscores Belmont’s dedication to building cross-sector partnerships among public and private organizations, leveraging data and educational resources to sharpen disaster resilience. Both Dr. Peter Williams, Chair US-ARISE, and Dr. Brian Gerber, Board Lead, Higher Education and faculty member from Arizona State University, attended the workshop.