Fifth Global Expert Forum for Producers and Users of Disaster-related Statistics
Work area(s)
Teaser
The forum concluded by reaffirming the global commitment to generating quality statistics that support more effective public policies for disaster risk reduction, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Event information
Date
6 - 08 Oct 2025, 09:00 - 12:00Event type
The Expert Forum is convened annually by the United Nations in collaboration with regional partners, under the guidance of the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Disaster-related Statistics (IAEG-DRS). The 2025 Forum is hosted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
It is organized in collaboration with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Disasters caused by natural and anthropogenic hazards continue to affect societies and economies worldwide. To mitigate these impacts and build resilience, countries require robust, timely, and accessible disaster-related statistics. These data are essential for guiding decision-making, shaping effective policies, and allocating resources for disaster prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.
However, the connection between those who produce the data, such as national statistical offices, and those who use it, including policymakers, researchers, and disaster risk management practitioners, remains limited. Strengthening these linkages is key to improving the availability, quality, and usability of disaster-related data across sectors and institutions.
The 2025 Expert Forum will serve as a key opportunity to advance this agenda. Participants will discuss national and regional experiences, explore technical developments, and engage with the Global Disaster-related Statistics Framework (G-DRSF). While several technical frameworks and guidance documents on disaster statistics already exist, the G-DRSF represents the first comprehensive effort to develop a common statistical framework for disaster-related statistics to be proposed for consideration by the United Nations Statistical Commission. The draft framework is expected to undergo global consultation in late 2025 and be submitted to the Commission in early 2026.
Through interactive discussions and peer exchange, the Forum will equip participants with practical approaches, country examples, and technical guidance to strengthen disaster-related statistics in their own contexts. It will also offer a space to engage with the draft G-DRSF, contribute to its relevance for national needs, and explore emerging priorities for risk-informed decision-making.
Audience
The Forum will convene representatives from governments, academia, NGOs, the private sector, international organizations, and leading experts involved in the production and use of disaster-related statistics, including statisticians, risk management experts, geospatial scientists, and policymakers.
Related content
Countries and experts reaffirm commitment to strengthening disaster-related statistics globally
The Fifth Global Expert Forum for Producers and Users of Disaster-related Statistics reaffirmed the commitment of countries and international organizations to strengthen the production,…
Schedule
6 October 2025
09:00 - 10:25
1. Laying the Groundwork for an International Framework
- Session Chair: Alexis Athens, ECLAC
- Session Moderator: Michael Nagy, ECE
Rolando Ocampo, Director ECLAC Statistics Division
Welcome to the Expert Forum
Rikke Munk Hansen, Chief of Economic and Environment Statistics Section, ESCAP and co-chair of the IAEG-DRS
Forum goals and agenda
Alexis Athens, ECLAC Statistics Division
Session objectives and key questions
Xuan Che, UNDRR
Keynote presentation: Context and overview of the G-DRSF (G-DRSF, Ch. 1)
Panel discussion: Challenges of implementing statistical frameworks and expectations of the G-DRSF
- Angela Ferruzza, Italian National Institute of Statistics
- Armando Salazar, Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos de Ecuador
- Daniel Clarke, G-DRSF Contributing Author and Consultant, ESCAP
- Hakan Yazicioğlu, Turkish Statistical Institute
Interactive poll: Key challenges in disaster-related statistics and role of the G-DRSF
2. Concepts and Classifications in Disaster Statistics
10:35 - 12:00
- Session Chair: Xuan Che, UNDRR
- Session Moderator: Kanza Ahmed, UKHSA
Kanza Ahmed,UKHSA
Opening, session objectives and key questions
Xuan Che, Statistician, UNDRR
A deeper review of technical G-DRSF concepts, including research topics (G-DRSF, Chapters 2-3)
Virginia Murray, Head of Global Disaster Risk Reduction, UKHSA
Introduction of HIPs 2025: Update and scientific review
Saini Yang, Executive Director, Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR)
Harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence for better understanding of disaster risk
Experiences and approaches to producing and using DRR Data
Karla Méndez (CENAPRED)
Mexico's Experience with Disaster-Related Statistics
Chadi Abdullah, Arab R-STAG
Geospatial Mapping for Multidimensional Crises in Lebanon
Diksha Mewa Hurdowar, Statistics Mauritius
Experience of Mauritius
7 October 2025
09:00 - 10:25
3. Advancing and Coordinating Disaster Impact Statistics
- Session Chair: Kanza Ahmed, UKHSA
- Session Moderator: Urbano Fra Paleo, Universidad de Extremadura
Urbano Fra Paleo, Professor, Universidad de Extremadura, Spain
Opening, session objectives and key questions
Giselle Myers Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Country example: Producing and using impact statistics after a disaster – Hurricane Beryl
Gabriele Coccia, Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility
Insurance sector example: Use of disaster impact statistics for risk modeling and disaster risk financing
Ilan Kelman, University College London
Academic example: Challenges in disaster death statistics
Iria Touzon Calle, UNDRR
DELTA Resilience – a toolkit for Disaster Tracking System for hazardous event and losses and damages
» Questions and Answers
4. Strengthening Measurement for Risk Reduction
10:35 - 12:00
- Session Chair: Xuan Che, UNDRR
- Session Moderator: Hakan Yazicioglu, Turkish Statistical Institute
Hakan Yazicioglu, Turkish Statistical Institute
Opening, session objectives and key questions
Lightning presentations: Measuring risk in populations and agriculture
Sabrina Juran, UNFPA LACRO & Mario Salgado Galvez, UNDRR ROAC
Demographic intelligence for disaster risk reduction: Estimating population exposure to multiple hazards in Latin America and the Caribbean
Ayman Omer, FAO RNE
Anticipatory action for agriculture disaster loss
Country experiences on risk measurement and assessment
Naira Mandalyan, Statistical Committee Republic of Armenia
Disaster Related Statistics in Armenia: from national to local level
Felipe Ibarra Guajardo, National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response, SENAPRED
Chile’s Experience in Disaster Statistics
Loise Iiyambo, GIS Analyst
Namibia’s Experiences and Challenges in Collecting and Measuring Disaster Statistics
Aaron Gardner, Lloyd's Register Foundation
World Risk Poll 2024: Global data to understand risk and harm
» Questions and Answers
8 October 2025
09:00 - 10:25
5. Data Gaps and Innovative Approaches
- Session Chair: Giovanna Tagliacozzo, Italian National Institute of Statistics
- Session Moderator: Michael Nagy, UNECE
Giovanna Tagliacozzo, Italian National Institute of Statistics
Opening, session objectives and key questions
Country lightning presentations: Innovative approaches to fill data gaps
Wafa Aboul Hosn, ESCWA
Integrating data from satellite imagery, InSAR, and Census to estimate damages to buildings in Gaza
Lauren Pinault and Helen Foran, Statistics Canada
Measuring exposure and vulnerability: Integrating satellite-derived data with socio-economic statistics
Sacha Baud, Statistics Austria
Heat stress and its socio-economic influencing factors
Panel discussion: Benefits and challenges of innovative solutions
- Céline Jacquin, OpenStreetMap Team
- Andres Velasquez, Corporación OSSO
- Xuan Che, Statistician, UNDRR
6. Reflections and the Way Forward
10:35 - 12:00
- Session Chair: Alexis Athens, ECLAC
- Session Moderator: Alberto Malmierca, ECLAC
Alberto Malmierca, ECLAC
Opening, session objectives and key questions
Keynote presentation: Reflections on disaster-related statistics
Alexis Athens, ECLAC
Forum summary & takeaways
Animesh Kumar, Head of UNDRR Office in Bonn and co-chair of the IAEG- DRS
Next steps with the G-DRSF and Sendai Goals
Rolando Ocampo, Director ECLAC Statistics Division
Closing remarks
Meeting documents
Related link(s)
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Global Consultation of the Draft Global Disaster-related Statistics Framework
Fourth Expert Forum for Producers and Users of Disaster-related Statistics (28 Oct - 1 Nov 2024)
Third Expert Forum for Producers and Users of Disaster-related Statistics (5-9 Jun 2023)
Second Expert Forum for Producers and Users of Disaster-related Statistics (6-8 Sep 2022)
First Expert Forum for Producers and Users of Disaster-related Statistics (7-10 Jun 2021)