This is AIDR calling
The global conflict in the Middle East has a local impact – diaspora communities will be anxious for loved ones, travellers stranded, and the impact on supply chains and energy costs will affect supplies for communities in recovery. This is an example of the systemic nature of risk and cascading consequences.
Looking at the United Nations Office of Disaster Risk Reduction’s work program for 2026-27, it is pleasing to see how AIDR’s work directly contributes to 3 of the 4 catalytic areas of focus: advancing risk knowledge, strengthening locally led disaster risk reduction, and advancing recovery readiness. We also work to help build a world where disasters no longer erode development, where risk-informed decision-making is the norm, and where every person – everywhere – can live with dignity and safety in the face of growing uncertainty.
We swung right back into our program in February with the first of the Resilience Matters webinar on social equity and then an extended Possibility Lab which tackled the challenging topic of collective trauma events – described by the late, great Kai Erickson as those that cause a blow or rip in the fabric of community and society. Motivated by the recent incidents at Bondi, it is important to acknowledge that there exists a longstanding history of events involving malicious intent to harm individuals engaged in their daily activities, and such occurrences can take place in any location. With nearly 400 people attending both events, I realised the importance of bringing these topics to a wide range of people in a wide range of places.
Excitingly, we started to scope out what a Disaster Risk Reduction Handbook may look like. This is a key, critical missing piece of the Australian Disaster Resilience Handbooks Collection, which is largely focused on preparing for effective response. While there is some excellent guidance on risk reduction across the sector, there is no ‘One handbook to rule them all’. I am not sure that Peter Jackson will line up to create the film version, though.
The Australian Disaster Resilience Knowledge Hub creaks and groans under the weight of tens of thousands of excellent resources. It is also popular – with over 500,000 visitors annually. People have repeatedly told us it is challenging to navigate, and so the team are looking at how we can make some tweaks to improve user experience, while we look at what potentially comes next. Our goal is to mobilise these excellent resources, rather than create new content.
We were busily assessing and scoring over 230 abstracts for the Australian Disaster Resilience Conference. It was a real challenge as I feel the quality of the abstracts has improved even further this year, and the breadth of topics was fantastic. The uber-nerd in me wanted to hear most of them. Sadly, we can only find places for 22 speakers, 4 panels, and 5 people to share their stories on how they became accidental disaster resilience professionals. What a great problem to have!
We had a team outing to watch the terrific documentary, Floodlands. It follows 4 people in their recovery from the Lismore floods. It was gentle, determined, and unsentimental storytelling of how they grapple with the events that occurred and the personal aftermath. It’s also beautifully and expansively shot. This should be required viewing for anyone coming into the sector.
I listened into an excellent webinar from the Biodiversity Council, ‘Preparing for a more volatile future’, which explored the challenges faced by the natural environment due to extreme weather and climate change. It was a sobering recognition of the impacts on natural values and how we, the sector, need to recognise their importance. It further stresses the need to look beyond the primacy of human life and property as our sole priorities.
With a lot of hot and sultry weather in February, I have returned to the fantastic Buena Vista Social Club album for the first time in many years. A reminder of terrific knowledge, ability, and resilience, hidden away in streets and buildings in places.