ADPC’s delegation of Mr. Shane Wright, Executive Director and Dr. LingLing Jiang, Senior Program Manager visited the Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction (IDMR) at Sichuan University and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China from 6 – 8 July 2014.

The objective of the visit was to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between ADPC and IDMR for cooperation in disaster risk management in China and the Asian region.The two parties agreed to develop a mutually beneficial partnership in order to strengthen disaster risk management capacities in China, and to promote exchange of knowledge and experiences with other countries of the region and worldwide.

ADPC’s delegation visited the collapsed Beichuan County, which was fully destroyed by Wenchuan earthquake on 12 May 2008 and the relocated Beichuan County, 30 kilometers away from the original county site. The delegation also had a tour at Wenchuan Earthquake Memory Museum. The visits were accompanied by Dr. Gu Linsheng, Executive Director of IDMR, and Mr. Guo Zhiqiang, Head of Training Base on Emergency Response of Chengdu.

Developing disaster risk management in China is imperative

In the MoU, ADPC and IDMR have agreed to the development of a mutually beneficial partnership in order to strengthen disaster risk management capacities in China. Both ADPC and IDMR have decided to work towards the establishment of the Western China-ADPC Center on Disaster Risk Management, which will be for implementing various disaster risk management training programs, information portals and knowledge-sharing initiatives.

“There is a great need for developing practical knowledge, skills and experiences on disaster risk management in Western China,” commented Dr. LingLing Jiang. Mr. Wright also expressed ADPC’s willingness to support Western China through IDMR and its partners in Chengdu.

As a multi-disciplinary institution with an international outlook, the Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction aims to cultivate high-quality talent in the field of post-disaster reconstruction and management. It undertakes scientific research and aims to establish social services in order to minimize disaster-related economic and human losses.