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91Â鶹¹ú²ú¾«Æ·×ÔÅÄ long-standing experience in harnessing the potential of science, technology and innovation to better understand natural hazards, and to strengthen the resilience of communities. 91Â鶹¹ú²ú¾«Æ·×ÔÅÄ brought together experts and decision makers to share experiences and foster collaboration on these issues as early as 1954, when the Organization organized a Symposium on typhoons. Today, UNESCO operates at the interface between education, science, culture, communication and information to build a science-based global culture of resilience, using the best available knowledge and recognizing and collaborating with diverse knowledge systems.

The number, scale, intensity, impact, and cost of natural hazards is increasing. These events are often unpredictable, but STI provide the foundation for effective disaster risk reduction. UNESCO recognizes the importance of STI and is committed to furthering scientific and technological knowledge and innovation to better understand natural hazards, and to prepare, respond, monitor and predict their impacts in order to avoid disasters.

STI has always been instrumental in the monitoring of natural hazards such as earthquakes, extreme weather events, floods and droughts. By better understanding the patterns of these events, scientists, and engineers have been able to develop warning systems to ensure that information reaches people on the ground in a timely fashion, and that they know what to do to protect themselves, such as evacuating or taking other safety precautions.

In recent years, STI has taken on new importance as the reach of disaster risk reduction has expanded beyond responding to and recovering from natural hazards. Today, the field also encompasses prevention and mitigation to limit the impact of disasters and build resilience.

‘Understanding disaster risk’ constitutes one of the first priorities of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. It emphasizes the need for enhanced scientific and technical contributions on disaster risk reduction, prioritizing the development and dissemination of science-based risk knowledge, technology, and innovation. UNESCO is a leader in incorporating science, technology, and innovation into disaster risk reduction policies and strategies.

In order to strengthen scientific capacities, UNESCO facilitates and implements technical trainings, workshops and research activities in disaster risk reduction. These activities result in creating networks of technical experts, as well as in enhancing knowledge, producing materials and technologies to help decision-makers and stakeholders build or strengthen their capacities in disaster risk management.

Technology is important for the knowledge and tools used in reducing disaster risk. UNESCO contributes to this by bringing in new innovations like artificial intelligence to help with disaster communication and forecasting natural hazards.

UNESCO also uses crowdsourced data for hazard mapping and forecasting at the local level, making it publicly available. STI isn't necessarily limited to high-tech tools. It includes everything from scientific knowledge to citizen science and participatory research.

UNESCO assists countries to mobilize indigenous and local knowledge systems, together with science and policy development, to enhance resilience at different scales, as indigenous peoples have the capacities to contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation, as well as disaster preparedness and management. Through its Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems Programme (LINKS), UNESCO brings together indigenous peoples, local communities, scientists, policy-makers and international agencies to dialogue and elaborate national and regional perspectives on how indigenous and local knowledge constitute a crucial element in social and ecological resilience processes, how they can be mobilized for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.

Knowledge is crucial for reducing disaster risk, whether it is achieved through traditional knowledge or modern technology. Supporting aspiring scientists to learn science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is therefore essential for disaster risk reduction and is a key part of UNESCO's action areas.