The next generation core competencies: Building a workforce with the knowledge, creativity, and policy expertise for disaster risk management

Regardless of the setting, rural or urban, global north or south, highly resilient or not, successful Disaster Risk Management (DRM) depends on a deep understanding of governance, policy and other critical tools through which communities work together to bring about change that is required. The Next Generation Core Competencies guide the professional development of the DRM workforce. The changing global drivers of risk along with the expectations of the Sendai Framework motivated this inquiry and development to support DRM education and practice.

Oriented toward emerging needs, the core competencies have been built on existing DRM competencies, a review of related core competencies and global risks, a multi-cycle Delphi study, and wider community listening sessions around the globe. Behavioral anchors and key actions for measurement were developed to accompany the new core competencies. The resulting competencies and their measures were designed to be further contextualized for local settings. Professional development linked to the competencies and their measures can better equip the future workforce to carry out the Sendai Framework vision, consistent with approaches taken across communities, civil society and business. Building from the point of mutuality with core competencies is the place that can unite and propel a future workforce. 

This paper is a contribution to the 2019 edition of the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR 2019).

To cite this paper: 

Feldmann-Jensen, S.; Jensen, S. et al. The next generation core competencies: building a workforce with the knowledge, creativity, and policy expertise for disaster risk management. Contributing Paper to GAR 2019