Istanbul, 22–23 September 2025
The Economic Cooperation Organization Secretariat, in collaboration with the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority of the Republic of Türkiye (AFAD) and the Asian and Pacific Center for the Development of Disaster Information Management (APDIM), convened a regional workshop in Istanbul on enhancing seismic risk assessment capacities in ECO Member States.
The two-day event brought together participants from relevant government institutions of ECO Member States, academia, civil society organizations, and representatives of international partners, including the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The workshop provided a platform for forward-looking dialogue on strengthening seismic risk assessment across the region.
In their opening remarks, Mr. Babatunde A. Ahonsi, UN Resident Coordinator in Türkiye, underscored the critical role of risk assessment in advancing disaster risk management in the ECO region, while Prof. Orhan Tatar, Director General of Earthquake and Risk Reduction at AFAD, shared Türkiye’s experiences and best practices in seismic risk assessment. Dr. Hüsnü Tekin, Director for Human Resources and Sustainable Development (HRSD) at the ECO Secretariat, reaffirmed the Secretariat’s readiness to support Member States in advancing disaster risk reduction (DRR) initiatives, outlining ongoing ECO activities in this field.
During the discussions, ECO Member States highlighted their experiences in seismic risk assessment, while also identifying key challenges such as the lack of standardized data, limited financial resources, and the urgent need for regional cooperation in data sharing and capacity-building.
The workshop concluded with a set of recommendations aimed at enhancing collaboration among ECO Member States to strengthen disaster risk reduction and build resilience against seismic hazards.
