Abstracts should be limited to 250 words. Successful author(s) will be required to register and attend the conference in person. We only limit up to 10 papers to be presented on the online platform. All papers will be double-blind peer-reviewed by a panel of selected international experts.

The submitted abstracts must address one of the following thematic areas;

KEY TOPICS

RISK ANALYSIS FUNDAMENTALS

• The Risk concept in history and across various scientific domains;
• Variability of risk determinants/components: exposure, hazard, vulnerability, adaptive capacity, resilience;
• Spatial and temporal aspects of systemic risk;
• The past and the future of risks, crises, and disasters;
• Risk in education and learning in and beyond;

RISK ASSESSMENT

• Spatial databases for risk assessment and mapping;
• Risk assessment methods capturing the variability of risk;
• Areas/Africa regions, hot spots for hazards, risks, and disasters (geophysical, meteorological, hydrological, climatological);
• Vulnerability- and resilience-based social-spatial inequalities;
• New technologies for hazard and risk observation and monitoring;

(DISASTER) RISK MANAGEMENT

• Historical and contemporary (disaster) risk management paradigms;
• Spatial and temporal issues of the disaster risk management cycle;
• Urgency and uncertainty in crisis management;
• Management models adapting to the variability of risk;
• Engineering and non-engineering safety regulations in different eras and contexts;
• Past and new technologies in risk and crisis management;
• Emerging risk identification in African cities and vulnerable rural communities

RISK PERCEPTION, COMMUNICATION AND GOVERNANCE

• Multi-stakeholder dialogue and risk communication: Bridging the communication gap
• Risk perception and communication in different regions, cultures, and eras;
• Systemic risk communication and governance;
• Risk governance case studies for different African regions;

(DISASTER) RISK MITIGATION IN SECTORAL POLICIES

• Policies for enhancing personal, community, institutional, and urban resilience;
• Climate Change mitigation and adaptation policies;
• Risk-based Spatial Planning;
• Early warning, emergency response, decision-making, and resilience building
• Risks and Disaster insurance policies in risk management

MONITORING AND COPING WITH REAL RISK PROBLEMS

• Temporal/spatial analysis and management of geophysical hazards and risks;
• Temporal/spatial analysis and management of Climate Change hazards and risks;
• History and geography of public health, epidemic, and pandemic risks;
• Food Security/Safety in SADC and beyond;

RISK AND ETHICS

• Risk Culture and Acceptable Risk in and beyond
• (Disaster) Risk management and Local knowledge/cultural Inclusion
• International and regional standards for climatic disaster risk

Abstracts can be submitted online to the following address drmconference@hsrc.ac.za before 30 May 2025 and should contain the following information:

1. Rationale of the Research
2. Method of Investigation
3. Main Findings
4. Conclusions and Recommendations