ATHENS – An international conference about minimizing risks for disasters will be held in Athens on Friday, October 21, the Greek Ministry for Climate Change & Civil Protection announced on Thursday, International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.

It is titled ‘Inclusive & Collaborative Systems for Heat & Wildfire Risks Governance’, and will be held held in the context of a broader intitiative by the European Forum for Disasters Risk Reduction (EFDRR) called the EFDRR Roadmap Action-Oriented Dialogue. The Greek Ministry for Climate Change & Civil Protection and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) for Europe & Arab States are co-organizing the Athens event.

The conference will address this issue at the highest political and technical level, to promote partnerships and the development of specific actions a sub-regional, national and local level, UNDRR said in its own announcement online.

Climate change in the Meditteranean region and the vulnerability to urban heat are two key issues that will be discussed at the forum.

Greek Minister for Climate Change & Civil Protection Christos Stylianides and the United Nations Secretary-General Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mami Mizutori, will attend the meeting, among several other officials.

“This year in Europe,” Stylianides pointed out, “areas burnt [by wildfires] are four times larger than average. The eastern Mediterranean is now being afflicted by the effects of the climate crisis, with the UN warning that the temperature rise in our region will be around 20% higher than the global average over the coming decades.”

The conference will be streamed live by UNDRR on its official YouTube channel. The Greek Ministry for Climate Change & Civil Protection will also live stream the event.