Perspectives from the Pacific and New South Wales.
Disaster response in a changing climate
Emerging risks such as climate change and COVID-19 have changed the way disasters are responded to across the world. The increasing frequency, intensity and complexity of disaster events such as tropical cyclones, floods and heat waves means we need to consider news ways of working and learn lessons from diverse contexts.
This panel session will draw on the experiences of experts from Fiji and New South Wales to share insights and lessons across two different contexts of disaster response.
View the recording
TBC
About the panellists
Dr Pamela Sitko
Dr Sitko is a disaster management professional with 17 years’ experience in disaster, development and conflict settings. Her career spans across 20 countries, supporting the development and implementation of locally owned disaster preparedness, recovery and resilience plans for governments, communities and non-government organisations (NGOs). In her current role as a Senior Project Officer for Resilience NSW, Pamela has assisted with the design and implementation of state-level recovery operations for the 2019-2020 bushfires, the 2021 northern NSW floods and the recent 2022 floods impacting Lismore and the surrounding area. Pamela is a member of Habitat for Humanity’s International and Australian Programs Advisory Committee.
Dr Sangeeta Mangubhai
Dr Mangubhai is currently a principal consultant with Talanoa Consulting in Fiji. Sangeeta will share her experiences and reflections on disaster response in Fiji (and the Pacific more broadly) as a result of her work and how it intersects with gender and human rights. Sangeeta will be visiting UTS in late May/early June and we are making the most of her visit with this event.
Diana Bernardi
Diana Bernardi has been working for Red Cross for over 20 years, most of this time as Emergency Services Manager NSW & ACT, ensuring Red Cross has the resources, skills, and capability to support communities to prepare for, respond to and recovery from disasters. Diana has led several large responses including recent, Bushfires 2019/2020, COVID, March Floods 2021 and the recent Feb/March 2022 Flood event. She has extensive experience working and engaging with diverse communities to understand their needs and assist them to better prepare for, respond to and recovery from an event, which has informed the development of response procedures, preparedness and recovery programs.
The Honourable Bob Carr
The Honourable Bob Carr is Industry Professor (Business and Climate Change) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Professor Carr works with the Institute for Sustainable Futures and the UTS School of Business, bringing his unique skills and experience to diverse portfolios, including business and industry, international relations and climate change research and policy. Professor Carr is a former Foreign Minister of Australia (2012-2013). He is also the longest continuously serving Premier in New South Wales history (1995-2005). Between 2014-2019 he was Director of the Australia-China Relations Institute (ACRI) at UTS, the only think tank in Australia devoted to the study of the Australia-China relationship.
Details
- When: 3:00-5:00pm Wednesday 1 June 2022
- Where: Institute for Sustainable Futures University of Technology Sydney Bldg 10, 235 Jones St, Ultimo NSW 2007, Australia
- Register: via Humanitix
