Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters

Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters
Name	Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters
Formation	1988
Type	Research centre
Location	Brussels, Belgium
Parent organization	Université catholique de Louvain

Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters is an international research centre based at the Université catholique de Louvain in Brussels, focused on the collection, analysis, and dissemination of data on natural and technological hazards, humanitarian crises, and public health emergencies. The centre produces the EM-DAT disaster database and publishes analyses used by agencies such as the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the World Health Organization, the European Commission and non-governmental organizations including Médecins Sans Frontières and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

History

Founded in 1988 under the auspices of the Université catholique de Louvain and initially linked to research agendas supported by the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the centre emerged amid international initiatives such as the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster and the responses to the 1980s famines in Ethiopia. Early collaborations involved institutions like the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, and the Food and Agriculture Organization, while methodological influences drew on epidemiological work from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Over the 1990s the centre expanded its remit in response to events such as the 1994 Rwandan genocide and the 1995 Kobe earthquake, aligning with policy debates at the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction and the preparatory processes for the Hyogo Framework for Action.

Mission and Objectives

The centre's stated mission aligns with priorities identified by the United Nations General Assembly and the World Health Assembly to improve humanitarian preparedness and disaster risk reduction, advancing objectives that include standardized data collection exemplified by the International Classification of Diseases influences, evidence synthesis for actors such as the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and training for personnel from institutions including the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the International Committee of the Red Cross. It aims to inform policy debates surrounding instruments like the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Sustainable Development Goals while supporting evaluations connected to funding mechanisms such as the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery and the Green Climate Fund.

Research and Programs

Research programs span quantitative epidemiology, vulnerability assessment, and loss estimation, drawing methodological inspiration from studies published in journals associated with the Lancet, the British Medical Journal, and the Bulletin of the World Health Organization. The centre conducts programmatic work on topics related to cyclones such as Hurricane Katrina and Cyclone Nargis, earthquakes like the 2010 Haiti earthquake and 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, and epidemics including Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa and the 2014–2016 Zika virus epidemic. Training and capacity-building initiatives have been delivered in partnership with universities such as Columbia University, Harvard University, and University of Oxford, and through workshops targeting practitioners from Save the Children, ShelterBox, and national agencies like Belgian Civil Protection.

EM-DAT Database

The EM-DAT database, maintained by the centre, compiles disaster data on events including floods, droughts, earthquakes, storms, and technological incidents such as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, drawing sources from agencies like the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the International Monetary Fund, and national disaster offices including the Federal Emergency Management Agency. EM-DAT provides standardized indicators used in analyses by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and non-profit evaluators such as Oxfam, informing loss and damage assessments relevant to negotiations at conferences such as the United Nations Climate Change Conference. The database's methodological notes reference classification practices akin to those used by the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and archival sources including the British Broadcasting Corporation and the Agence France-Presse.

Organizational Structure and Funding

Administratively hosted within the Université catholique de Louvain, the centre's governance involves academic leadership, research staff, and data managers collaborating with entities such as the Belgian Development Agency and funders including the European Commission research programmes and multilateral donors like the World Bank. Project funding has come from instruments including the European Research Council, foundations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and contracts with agencies like the United Nations Children's Fund and the United States Agency for International Development. The organisational model follows academic centre practices found at institutes like the Centre for Global Development and research units affiliated with the London School of Economics.

Partnerships and Collaborations

The centre maintains formal and informal partnerships with international organizations including the World Health Organization, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies as well as academic partners such as the Université libre de Bruxelles, Imperial College London, and the University of Tokyo. Collaborative projects have linked the centre with policy actors like the European Commission Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations and donor consortia led by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery and research networks such as the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk initiative. Technical cooperation has involved partnership with data platforms operated by institutions like the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and analytical inputs used by the World Bank Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery.

Impact and Criticism

The centre's outputs, notably EM-DAT, have informed disaster risk reduction strategies endorsed at forums such as the United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and policy papers by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, while contributing empirical input to humanitarian responses mounted by Médecins Sans Frontières and Save the Children. Criticisms have targeted issues of data completeness and representation raised by scholars from institutions including the University of Oxford and Harvard University, debates over attribution methods similar to critiques in literature from the Lancet and methodological critiques voiced at conferences like those organized by the European Geosciences Union. Responses from the centre have engaged with commentators from the World Health Organization and the United Nations system to refine inclusion criteria and transparency practices.

Category:Research institutes in Belgium Category:Disaster medicine Category:Humanitarian aid organizations