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The Asian Disaster Reduction and Response Network (ADRRN), Earthquake Risk Management (ERM) Hub, led by NSET, is a specialized regional platform dedicated to strengthening earthquake risk reduction and management capacities of ADRRN member organizations in high seismic-risk countries across Asia-Pacific. The Hub promotes collaborative learning, knowledge exchange, and mutual support among members by facilitating access to tested tools, methodologies, and expertise in earthquake risk reduction, ranging from seismic risk assessments and preparedness planning to retrofitting technologies and damage evaluation. Operating through a shared regional effort, the Hub also builds capacity through tailored training programs, mentorship, and professional exchanges, while linking grassroots needs with academic research, supporting joint project design, and curating themed case studies on earthquake resilience.
In Recent Initiative (June 2025 – June 2026), the ERM Hub implemented a multi-phase initiative on Promoting Seismic Resilience of Marginalized Communities in Earthquake-Prone ADRRN Member Countries, engaging partner organizations in Pakistan and the Philippines and directly reaching over 150 participants across 16+ countries.
Objectives and Scope
The ERM Hub works towards Strengthening Earthquake Risk Reduction and Management (ERRM) capacities of ADRRN members in high seismic-risk countries across Asia-Pacific through five core functions:
1. Facilitate experience exchange
2. Capacity building
3. Technical expertise for project design and implementation
4. Link research with implementation
5. Serve as Knowledge hub on ERM
Recent Initiatives
The multi-phase ERM Hub Initiative “Promoting Seismic Resilience of Marginalized Communities in Earthquake-Prone ADRRN Member Countries” was implemented under the guiding principle of being Locally Led, Hub Coordinated, and Technically Powered by NSET, with SIDRRA as the funding partner.
ERM Hub Multi-Phase Initiative
Partner ADRRN Member Organizations
Pakistan: STAR Foundation (Azad Jammu & Kashmir) and Foundation for Rural Development FRD (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
Philippines: Center for Disaster Preparedness (CDP) Foundation, TAO Pilipinas
Key Highlights
1.ERRM Community Orientation for Facilitators in Pakistan
On June 3, 2026, the ERM Hub conducted a targeted ERRM orientation session for potential community facilitators selected from STAR Foundation (AJK) and Foundation for Rural Development (FRD, KPK). This session prepared facilitators to conduct community-level earthquake risk reduction and management orientations in their respective areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu & Kashmir.
Content covered included seismicity and seismic risk in Pakistan’s context, earthquake-resistant design principles applicable to local stone masonry and mud construction, low-cost retrofitting techniques including lintel banding and corner stitching, household preparedness planning, and facilitation methodology for community ERRM delivery.
This activity directly bridges Hub-level capacity building to community-level outreach. The oriented facilitators represent a multiplier mechanism to reach households in high-risk remote areas of Pakistan beyond formal project boundaries.
2. 9th Asia Conference on Earthquake Engineering
On May 6, 2026, the ADRRN ERM Hub organized a dedicated hybrid panel session at the 9th Asia Conference on Earthquake Engineering (9ACEE) in Kathmandu, Nepal, titled “Frontline CSOs and Researchers: Stronger Together for Last-Mile Earthquake Resilience.” The conference theme “Risk to Resilience: Linking Science to the People” provided a fitting platform for this session, which placed community-based disaster risk management in direct dialogue with the academic and engineering community.
Panelists representing CSO, NGO, INGO, private sector, local government, and engineering research perspectives participated in a facilitated discussion moderated by the ERM Hub.
3. Knowledge Exchange Workshop between the ERM and CBDRRM Hubs
In April 2026, the Earthquake Risk Management (ERM) Hub and the Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (CBDRRM) Hub hosted by the Center for Disaster Preparedness (CDP), Philippines, jointly organized a two-day in-person Experience Sharing Workshop in Quezon City. The workshop was implemented in strategic partnership with TAO Pilipinas and local civil society organizations. Participants from diverse professional backgrounds participated, including engineers, architects, urban planners, community practitioners, government officials, academics, and social development workers, reflecting a deliberate effort to ensure cross-sectoral dialogue. Local experts from TAO Pilipinas, Build Change, UP College of Engineering, and Mapua University led the majority of sessions, with NSET providing technical inputs on Nepal’s experiences in retrofitting and earthquake-resistant construction.
The workshop brought together community leaders, engineers, local government representatives and practitioners under one platform to share lessons on earthquake recovery, safer construction, resilient housing, and community-centred risk reduction. It concluded with a strong and unified commitment among all participants to foster continued collaboration and partnership toward resilient and safe housing for all.
4. Engineers’ Training on Earthquake Safety Startup Package (ESSP) for Pakistan
The ERM Hub conducted an online Engineers’ Training on Earthquake Safety Startup Package (ESSP) on April 13, 15, 16, and 20, 2026, jointly organized with STAR Foundation (Azad Jammu & Kashmir) and Foundation for Rural Development FRD (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). The training reached participants from across Peshawar and Chitral (KPK), Rawalakot, Harighel, and Bagh (AJK), Rawalpindi (Punjab), and Islamabad including engineers, architects, government officials, UN professionals, and social scientists. Three modules were covered in the training: Seismicity and Seismic Risk; Earthquake-Resistant Design and Construction; and Retrofit of Buildings with Case Studies.
5. Webinar on Promoting Seismic Resilience in Asia Pacific Region
On 23 July 2025, a webinar on Promoting Seismic Resilience in the Asia-Pacific Region was conducted with the participation of over 70 individuals from more than 15 countries. The purpose of this event was to launch a multi-phase initiative aimed at enhancing seismic resilience in earthquake-prone ADRRN member countries. To initiate this collaborative process, the focused webinar provided a platform to share earthquake risk reduction approaches and the strategic vision of the ERM Hub, setting the foundation for identifying relevant and committed stakeholders for future implementation. The webinar fostered engaging discussions on building sustainable earthquake resilience through regional collaboration, capacity building, and local action. This event marks the beginning of a multi-phase journey to strengthen earthquake risk management across the region—through knowledge sharing, capacity enhancement, and a shared commitment to fostering a culture of safety.
ADRRN Annual General Meeting (AGM) & Regional Humanitarian Partnership Week (RHPW) 2025
At the ADRRN AGM and RHPW in December 2025 in Bangkok, the ERM Hub contributed to and attended the events, engaged with members on ERM initiatives, and showcased its work through the marketplace.
