Former PM to deliver prestigious lecture

Helen Clark, former New Zealand prime minister and current Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will discuss disaster resilience in a special lecture being held in Christchurch on 15 August.

Ms Clark, who will speak to the topic “Building resilience: The importance of prioritising disaster risk reduction – a United Nations Development Programme perspective”, will deliver the 2012 Hopkins Lecture in the Aurora Centre at Burnside High School.

The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be jointly hosted by the University of Canterbury and the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ) Canterbury branch.

Ms Clark’s lecture will look at building resilience to disasters through disaster risk reduction, a systematic approach to identify, assess and reduce the risks of disaster. She will highlight the importance of prioritising resilience in both developed and underdeveloped countries, and the role of the UNDP and relief agencies.

Drawing on the experience of recent disasters – such as the Haiti earthquake and Japanese tsunami – Ms Clark will talk about the UNDP’s role in disaster response in the context of its broader development and humanitarian work. She will also discuss the Canterbury earthquakes and give her perspective on the challenges of recovery.

The annual Hopkins Lecture was established in 1978 by the University of Canterbury and IPENZ to recognise the distinguished service of Professor HJ Hopkins in the field of engineering. Its aim is to encourage discussion of engineering within the profession and to encourage public understanding of engineering issues.

When: 6.30pm, Wednesday 15 August
Where: Aurora Centre, Burnside High School (corner of Memorial Ave and Greers Rd, Christchurch)

ENDS

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