AIDR

AIDR's Masterclass Program is now open for registrations from August to October 2026.

Build the knowledge, skills, and connections to upgrade your practice in one of our upcoming masterclasses.

Explore the programs and register now to secure your place: https://www.aidr.org.au/events/

World Refugee Day (20 June) recognises the strength and resilience of people forced to leave their homes and calls for collective action to support safety and inclusion. The 2026 theme, 'Until everyone is safe', speaks to a shared responsibility that increasingly intersects with disaster risk reduction and climate change.

At AIDR, we recognise the growing links between climate risk, displacement and resilience. Across our region, climate change is increasing displacement, from Pacific communities facing sea level rise to people affected by floods, bushfires, and prolonged drought in Australia.

In this Q&A, Mami Mizutori, Former Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, discusses the growing risk of disaster displacement due to climate change: https://www.undrr.org/qa-con-mami-mizutori-desplazamiento-por-desastres-pdd-undrr

Here, she highlights the importance of disaster risk reduction, resilient planning, data, and coordinated policies to prevent displacement, reduce vulnerability, and support long-term recovery for displaced people and host communities.

These impacts are not evenly felt. They can increase existing inequities and make it harder for some people to stay connected to place, culture, and community.

This AJEM article outlines ways to inform, engage, and partner with people from diverse refugee backgrounds to maintain connection: https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/ajem-april-2019-people-from-refugee-backgrounds-contribute-to-a-disaster-resilient-illawarra/

Building safer, more inclusive communities means planning for displacement, strengthening local capacity, and working alongside communities.

This paper presents insights from a community-led initiative aimed at enhancing disaster resilience in culturally and linguistically diverse migrant and refugee communities: https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/ajem-july-2024-migrant-and-refugee-communities-strengthening-disaster-resilience/

Image: Kelly Sikkema/Unsplash

'For people without adequate insurance, or with limited options for relocation, and in an environment of housing shortages, access to permanent housing becomes uncertain and the makeshift solutions can have severe consequences.'

Read more here: https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/ajem-april-2026-shelter-after-disasters-in-australia/

In the April 2026 edition of AJEM, A/Prof Iftekhar Ahmed, Dr Anastasia Mortimer, and Dr Kate Davies explore post-disaster shelter in Australia, examining the challenges faced by people displaced by disasters and highlighting how prolonged reliance on temporary accommodation, housing shortages and rising rebuilding costs can create barriers to securing permanent housing.

Image: Courtesy NSW Reconstruction Authority (2024)

Join us for the fourth webinar of AIDR's Spotlight Series, 'Food security and disaster risk reduction', on 24 June 2026.

To register or learn more, visit: https://www.aidr.org.au/events/55074?locationId=56993

The purpose of this series is to provide a forum for conversations about emerging issues in disaster risk reduction and resilience and to highlight important topics that receive little attention or focus.

In this webinar, we will hear from Dr Nick Rose and Mia Cox at Sustain: The Australian Food Network, who will share insights on community-led and systems-based approaches to building more resilient and equitable food systems.

What does it take to turn lessons identified into lessons learned?

AIDR Manager, Knowledge Development, Blythe McLennan reflects on discussions and insights from the 2026 Lessons Management Forum and how these will inform the Lessons Management Handbook update.

Read the article here: https://www.aidr.org.au/news/reflections-from-the-2026-lessons-management-forum/

The June edition of What's New in Knowledge is now available via the Knowledge Hub.

Read here: https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/news/whats-new-in-knowledge-june-2026/

Compiled by Blythe McLennan and Lexi Barrington, this monthly blog series collates key research, reports, and public interest journalism from across the disaster resilience space.

'Despite Aotearoa New Zealand's commitment to international instruments emphasising gender-responsive disaster laws and policies, domestic laws and policies are largely gender-blind or address gender considerations superficially.'

Read more here: https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/ajem-april-2026-gendered-fault-lines-unpaid-care-and-employment-in-disasters-in-aotearoa-new-zealand/

In the April 2026 edition of AJEM, Dr Silke Clausing and Professor Annick Masselot analyse how legal and policy frameworks in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally address gender equality during emergencies and disasters with a specific focus on unpaid caregiving and employment risks for women following disasters.

Image: KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA/pexels

'I reflected on our seemingly growing tendency to seek linear approaches to complex problems, and revert to a 1950s approach of engineering our way out of problems, when what is required are more connected, systemic approaches grounded in soft skills.'

Read more here: https://www.aidr.org.au/news/this-is-aidr-calling-june-2026/

AIDR Executive Director John Richardson highlights the importance of community connections, Indigenous knowledge, and systems thinking in building resilience before disasters occur.