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From October 19 to 20, the 2nd International Conference on Climate Change and Disaster Risk (CCDR 2025) was held in Beijing. The conference fostered in-depth dialogue on climate change and disaster risk, with a special emphasis on emerging disaster risks.

The opening ceremony featured addresses by Prof. Liu Weidong, Director-General of Bureau of International Cooperation, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Secretary-General of ANSO; Mr. Wang Qiang, Deputy Director-General, Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Science and Technology of China; Dr. Jenty Kirsch-Wood, Head of the Global Risk Analysis and Reporting Section at UNDRR; Prof. Philippe Gourbesville, President of IAHR; Professor Vasileios Marinos, President of IAEG; Mr. Zhang Songyun, Director of Education Division of Secretariat, National Commission of China for UNESCO; and Dr. Shahbaz Khan, Director of UNESCO Beijing Office. Also in attendance were Mr. Zhou Penghao, Deputy Director-General, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment of CAS (IMHE-CAS), along with representatives of the member institutes of CPJRC Governing Board and of the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR), and relevant UNESCO Chairs. The opening ceremony was moderated by Prof. Su Lijun, then Director-General of CPJRC

The CCDR 2025 invited distinguished keynote speakers, including Prof. Philippe Gourbesville, CAS Academician Xia Jun, Prof. Vasileios Marinos, CAS Academician Cui Peng, CAE Academician Yue Qingrui, Dr. Jenty Kirsch-Wood, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering Prof. Liang Qiuhua, Academia Europaea Member Prof. Ismail-Zadeh Alik, WEFO Vice President Prof. Martin Manuhwa, and former UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences Prof. Gretchen Kalonji. They shared insights and recent advances on topics such as the impact of climate change on natural disasters, urban safety risks, water resources management, the value of resilience and engineering resilience, and international cooperation in disaster risk reduction and management. The discussions underscored the critical importance of enhancing societal resilience in confronting global change and disaster risks. The keynote sessions were co-chaired by Prof. Liang Qiuhua, Prof. Ismail-Zadeh Alik, Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman (President of the Pakistan Geographical Association), and Prof. Philippe Gourbesville.

During the Conference, Chinese and international experts reinforced the urgency of accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Consensus was reached on the need to strengthen research and understanding of systemic and complex disaster risks against the backdrop of climate change and rapid societal development. The meeting called for leveraging emerging scientific and technological tools to deliver science-based solutions for disaster risk reduction and expressed hope for deepening international cooperation and expanding partnerships to jointly address the global challenges posed by natural disaster risks.

The CCDR 2025 featured 12 parallel sessions, 1 round table and 1 postgraduate session for exchange and discussion. It also witnessed the launch of the UNESCO Chair for Mountain Disaster Risk and Resilience, and the release of four representative scientific and technological achievements: the Mountain Disaster Risk Refined Monitoring, Forecasting, and Early Warning Platform; the 2024 Global Natural Disaster Assessment Report; the Digital China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Platform; and the Atlas of Natural Resources and Green Development for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

A thematic forum on emerging risk challenges and response strategies under climate change was also held, featuring experts including Prof. Mohammad Qasim Jan, former President of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences and CAS Foreign Academician; Prof. Carlos A. Villacís, Head of the Global Risk Identification Programme at UNDP; Mr. Yan Jianping, internationally renowned expert on climate and natural disaster risk assessment and management; Prof. Alessandro Pasuto, former Director of the Institute for Hydrogeological Hazard Prevention at the Italian National Research Council; Dr. Jens M. Turowski from the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ); Prof. Yang Saini, Executive Director of IRDR; Dr. Seyed Komail Tayebi, President of the ECO Science Foundation; and Dr. Anne-Sophie Stevance, Senior Science Officer at the International Science Council. The sessions for the UNESCO Chair launch, achievement releases, and the thematic forum were moderated by Prof. Su Lijun, Prof. Yu Yong, and Prof. Wang Fawu, respectively.

Co-organized by CPJRC, IMHE-CAS, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of CAS (IGSNRR-CAS), UNESCO Chair for Mountain Disaster Risk and Resilience, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of Pakistan, and QAU, this CCDR 2025 served as a continuation of the first CCDR held in Islamabad in October 2023. It attracted over 400 experts and scholars from more than 21 countries.

The Opening Ceremony

Addresses by Distinguished Guests

The launch of the UNESCO Chair for Mountain Disaster Risk and Resilience

Keynote Session

Thematic Forum

Onsite Conference