With the three-part masterclass “Disaster Forensic Investigations – Uncovering Root Causes and Drivers of Disaster Risk and Disasters”, the UNDRR and its partners provide an introduction to the concept of disaster forensics. Part I, “Understanding Disaster Forensics”, explains how the systematic analysis of past disasters helps uncover the underlying social, economic, and institutional drivers of risk – and how this knowledge can inform more resilient policy and planning decisions.
The methodology is based on a simplified version of the FORIN approach (Forensic Investigations of Disasters), which has been applied in recent years for the Global Assessment Report 2024 and by governments conducting their own analyses. The course is particularly aimed at policymakers, disaster risk reduction professionals, researchers, and organizations seeking to learn from past events and better address structural drivers of risk.
The masterclass demonstrates how forensic analysis can help move beyond managing disasters towards understanding and addressing the processes that create risk in the first place – thereby strengthening resilience, sustainable development, and evidence-based policymaking.