MICROFINANCE EVENT: The International Disaster and Risk Conference (IDRC) 2008 to be Held in Davos Switzerland will Explore Microfinance as a Tool for Disaster and Risk Management

INTERNATIONAL DISASTER AND RISK CONFERENCE (IDRC) DAVOS 2008

AUGUST 25-29, 2008, DAVOS, SWITZERLAND

The International Disaster and Risk Conference (IDRC), titled “Public-private partnership – Key for integral risk management and climate change adaptation”, will address the use of microfinance as a tool for risk management and disaster and hold special sessions focusing on microfinance. The conference is themed around exploring strategic responses and methods of risk management in response to threats and disasters such as natural hazards, climate change, pandemics and terrorism. Throughout the conference, and in a special session entitled Microinsurance in Risk Management, microfinance specifically will be focused on as a method to cope with risks and promote economic and social recovery. IDRC will discuss microfinance’s current role in risk management as well as future opportunities in using microfinance and microinsurance as tools for disaster and risk management.

IDRC expects 1300 people representing 130 countries as well as international agencies, organization, universities and companies. The IDRC partners with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and with the board of a collaboration of Swiss research institutions called the ETH-Domain. It is also under the patronage of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN-ISDR) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). IDRC’s additional sponsors are listed here. The conference will cost the equivalent of USD 855.22 with special rates for students, accompanying persons and individual day passes available here.

Registration is currently open. There is no listed registration deadline. Further information is available by emailing info@idrc.info.

By Sarah Knapp, Research Assistant

Additional Resources:

ETH-Domain

The International Disaster and Risk Conference: Rates, Sponsors

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation