Regional Headquarters, Jamaica. 24 October 2019—The University of the West Indies (The UWI) is the newest member of a growing network of over 30 leading universities and institutes engaged in resilience research—the Global Resilience Research Network (GRRN).
Launched in 2018, under the auspices of the Global Resilience Institute (GRI) at Northeastern University in the US, the GRRN is a worldwide body which informs the development of new tools and applications to advance resilience best practices. As a partner in the GRRN, The UWI will contribute its technical expertise through faculty researchers in sustainability, resilience, and disaster risk reduction. Among The UWI experts who will serve on the GRRN are Dr. David Smith, Coordinator, Institute for Sustainable Development and Director, Centre for Environmental Management; Dr. Barbara Carby, Director, Disaster Risk Reduction Centre; Dr. Lloyd Waller, Director of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), as well Consultant for Disaster Resilience at The UWI Office of Vice-Chancellor and Honorary Research Fellow Institute for Sustainable Development, Mr Jeremy Collymore.
Significantly, The UWI is expected to be a key contributor to the GRRN’s Island Resilience Initiative (IRI). This initiative aims to develop an action plan for a US-Caribbean Resilience Partnership, a commitment made earlier this year by 18 Caribbean higher education institutions across the region.
IRI takes a system-of-systems approach that recognises the interdependencies among the built, natural, and social elements of communities and societies.
On October 10, GRI’s Founding Director, Dr. Stephen Flynn, met with The UWI’s Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Affairs, Ambassador Dr. Richard L. Bernal and Dr. David Smith at the University’s Regional Headquarters in Jamaica to identify next steps for joint efforts.
Professor Flynn expressed his honour to be partnering with The UWI on this important initiative. He noted, “Distinguished scholars at The UWI have been making invaluable contributions not only to our understanding of the challenges that validate the need for improving societal resilience, but most importantly in providing leadership in developing innovative solutions”.
Ambassador Bernal welcomed the opportunity that participating in GRRN provided for deepening collaboration among institutions of higher education around the global resilience imperative. “There is an urgent need to develop solutions that respond to climate change and other disruptive risks in ways that support the goal of building more equitable and sustainable societies,” he said. The UWI is looking forward to being an active participant in the Global Resilience Research Network, providing the thought leadership and practical solutions to respond to that need.”
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