Event 2 built a shared foundation for understanding and applying disaster and climate risk information in planning and decision-making. The session unpacked what “risk” meant in practice—how it was defined, assessed, and used—and strengthened participants’ appreciation of why risk information mattered for resilience, investment, and policy.

The event explored the core components of climate and disaster risk assessments, including hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and risk, and clarified the differences between qualitative, probabilistic, and financial assessment approaches. It also highlighted the practical value of risk information across sectors such as resilience planning, infrastructure development, and climate finance.

Through a 90 minute interactive format featuring a keynote by Dayna Connolly, Disaster Risk Financing Specialist, ADB, panel discussion, Q&A, and synthesis, the session showcased three Pacific initiatives that had been improving access to and use of risk data:

• Orisi Naivalurua, Project Implementation Officer, GEM Division, SPC; Integrate Pasifika, which had strengthened regional capacity, peer learning, and communities of practice to support risk informed decision-making.
• John Strickland, Director, Emergency Management Cook Islands; The Cook Islands EMCI Geoportal, an award-winning platform that had enhanced real-time coordination and data-driven emergency management. winning platform that had enhanced real-time coordination and data-driven emergency management.
• Christopher Saili, Director, Kahuto Pacific; The Moana Data Service, which had addressed long-standing spatial data gaps by stewarding high-quality geospatial information with fairness, care, and trust.

Together, these examples demonstrated how better access, stronger governance, and user centred design had enabled risk information to be translated into practical action.