The ResiliEnhance Platform 2025 Meeting, held on 27 - 28 October 2025 at the International Centre for Mechanical Sciences (CISM) in Udine, gathered experts, institutions, and representatives from across UNESCO Chairs in Central and Eastern European countries, alongside international organisations including UNESCO and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).
Hosted by the University of Udine under the guidance of Rector Prof. Angelo Montanari and Prof. Stefano Grimaz, with the kind hospitality of Mario Pezzetta, and supported by the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, with the participation of Regional Councillor for Education and Training, Alessia Rosolen.
CEI Deputy Secretary General Zsuzsanna Király, emphasised the urgency of advancing collaborative resilience strategies in a rapidly changing global context.
“Resilience, after all, is not only about overcoming shock, it is about transforming the systems that create vulnerabilities in the first place”, she said.
Her words framed the two-day meeting as both a reflection on progress and a call to action — highlighting that resilience must be embedded in governance, education, culture, and community life to ensure sustainable and inclusive development. The meeting featured high-level interventions from UNDRR and UNESCO, exploring ways to integrate disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation into territorial governance. Experts highlighted the importance of translating systemic risk knowledge into practical, actionable policies.
A central element of the event was the alignment workshop for the upcoming Special Issue of the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, entitled “Leveraging Knowledge to Enhance Disaster Resilience for a Safer and Sustainable Future.” Coordinated by the ResiliEnhance Platform, this initiative aims to bridge research outcomes and policy implementation through interdisciplinary collaboration. Across sessions, participants explored diverse case studies — from flood resilience in Slovenia and post-earthquake recovery in North Macedonia, to governance models in Croatia and civil protection experiences in Italy. The Comprehensive ResiliEnhance Framework (CREF) was presented as a conceptual tool to visualise and integrate cross-sectoral approaches to resilience.
Interactive participatory labs allowed attendees to analyse regional resilience cases using the ResiliEnhance lens, compare methodologies, and identify new pathways for risk mitigation and governance transformation.
Throughout the discussions, a consistent message emerged: fostering resilience requires adaptive, cooperative and knowledge-driven governance, that engages communities and leverages technology. As Ms. Király underlined, the ResiliEnhance Platform is not merely an academic forum — it represents a strategic commitment to building safer, more resilient societies across the CEI region.
The meeting concluded with a shared vision: to continue expanding the Platform as a space for innovation, dialogue, and applied learning, where interdisciplinary collaboration can turn the concept of resilience into a living practice that protects people, heritage, and the environment.
For more info: fortuna@cei.int