The INFORM suite is a multi-stakeholder forum for developing shared, quantitative analysis that is relevant to humanitarian crises and disasters. Led by the Joint Research Centre of the European commission, INFORM also includes organisations from the humanitarian and development sector, donors, and various technical partners. Together, these actors have come together in developing a suite of quantitative and analytical products that support decision-making on humanitarian crises and disasters. Such products aim to empower and support decision making at different aspects of the disaster management cycle, specifically in the prevention, preparedness, and response phases. INFORM develops tools and methodologies for use at the global level and supports the application of their products at a subnational level. The scope and application of the various products from the INFORM suite can bridge the gap faced by many countries and cities, in harnessing data on risk for developmental planning.

The Global Initiative on Disaster Risk Management (GIDRM) and the Connective Cities project are grateful to the representatives from INFORM in delivering an Insight Moment on how to harness the platform and its applications in a real-world context to our Connective Cities Community. Specifically to Dr. Karmen Poljansek (JRC) who gave an introduction to the INFORM Suite and INFORM’s core principles; Dr. Andrew Thow (OCHA) who presented the subnational programme of INFORM and showcased the INFORM subnational model for the Sahel-Region; Mrs. Galiya Ibragimova (UNDRR) who presented the development and implementation of Central Asian and Caucasian, as well as the south-eastern Europe INFORM subnational models; and Dr. Luca Galimberti (JRC) who showed the prototype of INFORM subnational dashboard including other INFORM analytics.

The Insight Moment underlined the relevance of rigorous information systems as essential for Risk-informed Urban Development in obtaining high quality and real time data. The availability and accessibility of such a powerful tool like the INFORM platform and its various products prove to be effective solutions to such deeply rooted problems that act as a barrier for resilient and sustainable development globally. The INFORM suite developed by the JRC proves itself to be an invaluable tool, contributing to RIUD. INFORMS core principles Global, Open, Reliable and Flexible allow cities to harness high-quality and open-source data on the risks they face, to ensure that development and developmental gains can be secured at local as well as national and transboundary levels.

The recording of the session and the presentation files from the representatives can be accessed through the following page: Insight moment - Harnessing the INFORM platform as a tool for national authorities to design the DRR strategies at different levels, from local to national | Connective Cities Network (connective-cities.net).