Master in Management of Development - Disaster Risk Management MSc

Central to the DRM specialisation is the focus on reducing the negative impacts of disasters and conflict on peoples' lives and to build people's resilience to disasters, crises and conflict.

One of the key development challenges of our time is the increasing number of people placed at risk of crises and disasters; people's vulnerability increases due to shocks and trends as a result of natural and man-made hazards.

The number, complexity and impact of disasters are increasing which heightens the need for better disaster management. Disaster Risk Management (DRM) has become one of the cornerstones of international development: there is urgency to reduce disaster losses and a need to minimize the impact of disasters on sustainable development.
Disasters are, in essence, the result of poorly managed risk and human failure to introduce appropriate risk reduction measures. Effective crises and disaster responses therefore demand a shift away from reactive Emergency Relief to pro-active Disaster Risk Reduction. Disaster Risk Management therefore combines the concept of response and recovery (in the post-disaster phase) with the concept of prevention, mitigation and preparedness (the pre-disaster phase).