People are fundamental to the development, strengthening and effectiveness of risk reduction and disaster resilience, through their roles as community members and within workforces across businesses, government agencies and not-for-profit organisations. In different ways, each workforce group influences the development of resilience and the outcomes of emergencies and disasters. There is a need to understand the complexities around communities of people, including how these change over time and how they impact awareness, knowledge, behaviour and action.
National demographics are always in a state of evolution, taking paths that are influenced by local, national and global factors, and by personal priorities, particularly in the light of COVID-19. Within such environments, groups of people are intimately connected, including within workforces and communities that comprise many overlapping groups with competing interests.
The common link across this theme is people, with relevant research possible from many perspectives, including:
- understanding how to manage the health and wellbeing of workforces into the future
- future workforce planning
- linkages between communities and workforces
- new models of volunteering and community participation
- understanding future population demographics and dynamics that will influence future communities
- forecasting workforce dynamics and practices
- understanding the influences of technological advancements on workforces and communities
- effective participation of people in their communities and in relevant workforces
- evolving engagement, participation and inclusion of diverse groups
- avoidance of isolation, disconnection and natural-hazard-induced disadvantage.
Finally, communities have the capacity, ability and willingness to learn from their experiences and the experiences of others, in ways that enable them to identify and minimise their exposure to the impacts of natural hazards.