Sri Lanka Workshop (TBC)
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the original event due to be held in March 2020 was postponed. We will update you with a new date for the event in the future.
We are pleased to be organising an international research forum ‘Preparedness and Response to Urban Explosive Violence’, to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) Frontiers of Development Fund.
Building on previous IBRN events, this forum will bring together multidisciplinary researchers with expertise in blast injury, protection and health to prioritise knowledge gaps & identify research opportunities to address the issues caused by explosive violence, focusing specifically on urban scenarios and the 2019 Easter Bombings in Sri Lanka.
Preparedness & Response To Urban Explosive Violence
In 2018, Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) recorded 32,110 casualties caused by explosive weapons globally, of which 70% were civilians, increasing to 90% in urban areas. Explosive violence increasingly occurs in densely populated settings due to the shifting nature of conflict and the increasing threat and incidence of terrorism using explosive weaponry. Such incidents are complex emergencies, placing significant stress on fragile health systems and emergency services. Resulting blast injuries have devastating consequences for an individual’s health outcomes and welfare. There is a clear need for improved blast protection, emergency responses, data collection and potential new interventions to enhance resilience and preparedness to explosive violence.
Supporting Sri Lanka
We are working with Sri Lanka, a nation that has endured years of explosive violence through conflict and terrorism, such as the recent coordinated suicide bombings on Easter Sunday 2019, resulting in over 700 casualties. This research forum aims to investigate Sri Lanka’s emergency response strengths and challenges in relation to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings to explore and identify practical research opportunities for strengthening response and preparedness to urban explosive violence.
Forum Aims
The 2-day IBRN forum will focus on two main themes: the Response to the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter Bombings and Preparedness for future explosive violence, including the following topics:
Explosive violence data collection and casualty reporting
Communication and decision making
Patterns of blast injuries
Opportunities to strengthen emergency response
Mitigating blast injury threats
Blast-resilient protective design in urban settings
This forum aims to facilitate new understanding of Sri Lanka’s recent challenges in responding to mass-casualty events, the strengths of their response, how to further strengthen preparedness and examine how potential interdisciplinary research could address the issues of urban explosive violence. Like previous IBRN events, the intention is to provide a stimulating environment where multi-disciplinary researchers, clinicians and specialists can present their work, spark new collaborations, and share their knowledge and expertise on preparing and responding to urban explosive violence through a programme of presentations, round-table discussions and group exercises.
General Information
Event Title: Preparedness & Response To Urban Explosive Violence
Event Dates: TBC 2022/23
Organised by: The University of Southampton, University of Liverpool, University of Colombo, Military Hospital Narahenpita, Action on Armed Violence (AOAV)
Venue: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Agenda: Coming Soon