GDPC Research Activities

The GDPC prioritizes action-oriented research based on needs articulated by Red Cross and Red Crescent (RCRC) national societies and the communities they serve. Through strategic partnerships with the global Red Cross and Red Crescent network, universities and research institutions, the GDPC is helping fill key gaps in the humanitarian community’s disaster preparedness evidence base. The knowledge generated is intended to support practitioners in the design, planning and implementation of disaster preparedness and risk reduction interventions enabling vulnerable communities to better prepare for and cope with disasters.

To implement research activities the GPDC follows a three-tiered approach

Targeted Research Activities designed to fill key gaps in the global knowledge set on disaster preparedness.
Responsive Research Arm which allows the GDPC to stay open to new and innovative research topics related to disaster preparedness.
Small Grants Program for local researchers and practitioners that allows for a stronger focus on specific country and local level disaster preparedness needs.

Through a robust research agenda that is regularly updated to reflect evolving research needs, the GDPC engages with academics, national society partners, and other humanitarian actors to examine the following four core topic areas: the effectiveness of disaster preparedness work; disaster preparedness and technology; disaster preparedness in urban areas; and promoting innovative local disaster preparedness approaches.

Effectiveness of Disaster Preparedness Work

Difficulty assessing and evaluating the effectiveness of disaster preparedness work is a key factor in continued low investment in these activities, despite increased appreciation of their importance in recent years. The GDPC aims to identify drivers of successful disaster preparedness programming and good practices to inform the promotion and adaptation of tools and approaches.

Disaster Preparedness and Technology

With a rapid increase in the use of comparable technologies across the world, there is great potential for scaling up and adapting effective technology-focused approaches to enhance disaster preparedness service delivery. As the humanitarian community seeks to gain a better understanding of how to leverage these advances, the GDPC aims to identify and reinforce activities that promote the innovative use of technology, as well as conduct complementary research on the effectiveness of the approaches.

Disaster Preparedness in Urban Areas

Over past few decades, worldwide urbanization has increased at an unprecedented pace, with more than half of the world’s population currently residing in cities. High resource consumption and consequent environmental degradation, combined with social inequalities and lack of access to services and resources leave these growing urban populations at increased disaster risk. In response, the GDPC is supporting research that addresses the challenges and opportunities for disaster preparedness programming in urban environments, and where applicable, the contextualization of already existing tools.

Promoting Innovative, Local Disaster Preparedness Approaches.

The GDPC strives to be responsive to innovative ideas and approaches, closely engaging with the global RCRC network, as well as the wider humanitarian, development, and academic communities to remain informed of and open to new trends in disaster risk reduction.

Past Research Activities

Assessment Approaches

Community lead assessments on existing capacities, risks, vulnerabilities and needs are an integral part of successful community based programming. As contexts for humanitarian work are shifting, i.e. through increasing urbanization rates, more intense and frequent weather phenomena and a rapid adoption of technology, assessment approaches have to be revised and implemented in a way that allows for contextualization. The GDPC supports initiatives to adapt assessments to new challenges where needed and consolidate approaches where applicable to streamline assessments across the Red Cross Red Crescent network.