CIB/UN project

During a recently held CIB (CIB - International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction) Board, a series of activities in disaster management and the built environment, including a production of a high quality and high impact publication of both CIB and the UN, was approved.  The School of the Built Environment’s Dr. Richard Haigh and Prof. Dilanthi Amaratunga will be leading this new “CIB Proactive Theme”, working closely with CIB and UN and its agencies such as the regional UN disaster management programme, UNHABITAT and UNDP.  This initiative aims to enhance capacities of the major stakeholders in mitigating a disaster, to identify constraints, and to plan and manage reconstruction of the built environment after a disaster effectively, efficiently and sustainably. The focus of the work involves both the development of human resources, institutions, and communities, and also a supportive policy environment. It encompasses the process by which individuals, communities and institutions develop, utilise and retain their skills, abilities and knowledge individually and collectively, to identify their problems and constraints, set reconstruction objectives, formulate policies and programs, perform functions required to solve those problems, and achieve a set of reconstruction objectives.

The first phase of the initiative concerns the identification of existing capacities within the international community, national and local government, non-state actors and the private sector, and local communities. This phase will also review the current policy and regulatory environment, and systems for human resource development. 

The second phase of the initiative involves the identification of strategies to create, utilise and retain capacities so as to enhance the effectiveness of mitigation and reconstruction efforts.

In addition, a series of recommendations on how to develop the building and construction professional’s ability to anticipate and respond to unexpected events that damage or destroy an infrastructure project. The recommendations will be addressed to: ourselves as a community of researchers; our umbrella organisation, the CIB, practitioners in the built environment sector and the governments of our various countries.