Risk education essential to pandemic recovery

Risk management and personal resilience should form part of the national curriculum, said the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management  (IIRSM) following the UK Government’s call for evidence on the development of a new National Resilience Strategy.

The Covid-19 pandemic and other recent crises had stretched governments around the world, said the call for evidence. This has demonstrated the importance of a resilient society, with well developed plans and capabilities, along with flexible response structures that can adapt and respond to the unexpected. 

IIRSM Chief Executive Phillip Pearson said: “Resilience needs to be a multi-disciplinary collaborative approach between governments, businesses, society and public health and we need to understand what threatens the physical and mental health of individuals, communities and the sustainability of our planet. 

“Individuals and communities need to be more personally resilient and they need to be given the tools and education on how to build their resilience.

“If everyone is competent to identify, manage and communicate risk, this enables the key organisations to be better prepared and able to tackle future crises of different sizes and impacts. So, risk management and personal resilience should really form part of the education curriculum.

“Trust, communication, technology and culture are essentials for true resilience, not only across a nation but across the globe.”

The call for evidence asks questions around six themes:

• Risk and Resilience

• Responsibilities and Accountability

• Partnerships

• Community

• Investment

• Resilience in an Interconnected World

The consultation will run for 11 weeks and is complemented by a series of wider engagement events with relevant stakeholders and target groups. It closes on 27 September 2021.

Ends