Travel expenses, local transportation, hotel accommodation, and daily subsistence will not be borne by the UNU-EHS. Please fill in the registration form for application if your students wish to attend the workshop.

For more information about our course please contact the organiser, Dipl.-Ing. Vilma Hossini (hossini@ehs.unu.edu ) or Prof. Dr. Dusan Sakulski (sakulski@ehs.unu.edu).

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The growing frequency and magnitude of extreme environmental events (such as floods, landslides and drought) have intensified research interest in these events, in particular with regards to the level of risk they pose in different locations, the vulnerability of communities and their response capabilities. The concept of human security focuses on threats that endanger the lives and livelihoods of individuals and communities. Safeguarding it requires a new approach, and a better understanding of many interrelated variables – social, political, economic, technological and environmental - factors that determine the impact of extreme events when they occur.

The United Nations University created the Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS, in Bonn, Germany) to assess the vulnerability and coping capacity of communities facing natural and human-induced hazards in a changing environment. It aims to improve the understanding of cause and effect relationships to offer options to help reduce risks and vulnerabilities. The institute supports policy and decision-makers with authoritative research and information.

UNU-EHS and its work programme reflect the overall mission of UNU: “Advancing Knowledge for Human Security and Development”. The institute will spearhead UNU’s research and capacity building activities in the broad interdisciplinary field of ‘risk and vulnerability’. It will essentially explore the threats that environmental degradation, unsustainable land use practices, and natural and man-made hazards pose to human security. UNU-EHS works to anticipate the impact of ‘creeping’ environmental change - including climate variability, land degradation, population pressure and migration, and changing resource availability and quality - on risk and vulnerability. Subtle shifting conditions imperil communities gradually, usually in a hidden way. This undetected increase of social vulnerability can manifest itself suddenly and dangerously in the presence of extreme events of natural or human-induced origin.

UNU-EHS research work is devoted to developing capacity and giving advice to strategy and decision-makers. An integral part of UNU-EHS is the inclusion of young scientists within its research throughout one of the major educational activity - the UNU-EHS PhD Block Course. The overall goal of the Block Course is to highlight complexity and importance of vulnerability and resilience in the field of disaster risk management. Primary target audience are postgraduate candidates in the early stages of their PhD research, with different academic backgrounds such as geography, economics, social sciences, engineering, anthropology and natural sciences.

After four successful Block Courses held in Bonn (2006 - 2009), it was cognized that there is a need to come closer to particular regions and focus on regional vulnerability and resilience issues.

For the first time the UNU-EHS PhD Block Course will be held outside of Bonn - in Novi Sad, Serbia. Conducted in English, the Block Course will be hosted by the University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technical Sciences (UNS FTN), from 28 September - 03 October 2009. The title of this year’s Block Course is “From Vulnerability to Resilience in Disaster Risk Management”. Our expectation is that candidates will, after the completion of the Block Course, be aware of an interdisciplinarity and complexity of vulnerability and resilience, and have a better understanding of models for vulnerability assessment.

Please download the registration form here.