A BluePrint for SDGs - Disaster Management and Resilience
Abbas Rajabifard
Professor and Discipline Leader Geomatics I Advisory Board Member UN-GGIM Academic Network
I am pleased to announce that our two research centres – the Centre for Spatial Data Infrastructures and Land Administration (CSDILA) and Centre for Disaster Management and Public Safety (CDMPS) at The University of Melbourne – are currently mapping the links between disaster management, resilient cities, and the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We are prioritising the key challenges and opportunities to create Strategic RoadMaps and Blueprints, while considering the role of land and geospatial information.
In 2015, the SDGs were adopted by UN Member States with the aim to make the benefits of social, economic, and environmental development globally accessible. Related to these goals, our centres have been investigating the interrelationships and complexities of social, economic, and environmental issues and their linkages with the SDGs. This is in the contexts of smart cities, land rights and spatial data infrastructures, as well as disaster risk management, countries' infrastructures, policies and community resilience.
We work closely with the Academic Network for the UN Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) to explore the implications of our research in a rapidly-changing world. I am delighted to announce that, at the end of July this year, we will be presenting the findings of our research at the upcoming forum 'The SDGs Connectivity Dilemma: Urban Settlements, Resilience, and Sustainability' as part of the 8th UN-GGIM Expert Committee meeting at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Following on from this event, we are hosting an International Symposium 'A Smart Sustainable Future For All - Enhancing Resilience in a Changing Landscape', in co-partnership with The World Bank (the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery and the Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience Global Practice); where we will launch a Blueprint.
As the Director of both CSDILA and CDMPS centers, I am proud of the diverse and important work we do and we are looking forward to sharing our new findings over the coming months.
We also welcome you to take part in our symposium in September in Melbourne.
Director of SDGs Today at UN SDSN | Exploring new methods and approaches to strengthen the data ecosystem for sustainable development
6 年We are dealing with complex systems, where different parts of these systems are linked across time, sectors, and scales. Our actions in one location and time can have consequences for other locations and times. That is why our research aims to examine the global impact of local development and understand the importance of social, environmental, and economic connections.
Retired after decades with the Royal Australian Survey Corps and Defence Science and Technology Organisation
6 年The complexity of command and control for emergency response was addressed post 911 in Critical Infrastructure Protection activities by various groups as in?
Executive Director, SDG Data Alliance
6 年Congratulations Abbas on this important work. We need more dedicated research, not only pertaining to the geospatial aspects of the global development agendas themselves, but also the many connections, dependencies and interdependencies that exist, but are not well understood at all.