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GEM Holds Annual Staff Retreat in Ceratello

20-21 September 2025 – Ceratello, Bergamo, Italy

The Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation held its annual staff retreat in the mountain village of Ceratello, Bergamo. The gathering provided space for reflection, exchange, and team-building ahead of an active year of projects and collaborations. Against the backdrop of Ceratello’s quiet mountain setting, the retreat offered staff an opportunity to reconnect outside daily routines and align around GEM’s mission. The event concluded with renewed energy and shared determination to translate ideas into action in support of global disaster risk reduction.

Strengthening Partnerships with PHIVOLCS

29 August 2025 – Quezon City, Philippines

Helen, representing GEM, met with Director Teresito Bacolcol of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) to discuss partnership opportunities in hazard and risk modelling, training, and collaborative research. The meeting also covered offshore modelling, potential updates to the 2018 Philippine Hazard Model, and interest in OpenQuake training. In a separate meeting on 14 August, Jephraim Oro, GEM’s Communications Coordinator, met with Jeffrey Perez, Officer-in-Charge of the Geologic Disaster Awareness & Preparedness Division, to discuss GEM’s Learning Centre country page for the Philippines. These exchanges reinforced the importance of collaboration in advancing science-based resilience and strengthening national capacity.

Exploring Collaboration at the Asian Development Bank

27 August 2025 – Manila, Philippines

GEM, represented by Helen, met with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila to explore opportunities for collaboration. In discussions with the Climate Change, Resilience, and Environment Cluster’s Disaster Risk Management Team, topics included risk platforms, multi-hazard approaches, data accessibility, and capacity development, with GEM presenting its experience in seismic hazard and risk modelling and open-source tools such as the OpenQuake Engine. Later that day, Helen delivered the invited lecture “Engineering the Future: How Seismic Models Can Build More Resilient Societies”, which generated strong interest among ADB staff. The exchanges underscored the potential for applying GEM’s models to resilience planning across Asia.

Earthquake Modelling at Zurich’s Advisory Council for Catastrophes

August 2025 – Zurich, Switzerland

Al Mouayed Bellah Nafeh, Physical Vulnerability Lead, and Lana Todorović, Liquefaction and Landslide Modeller, represented GEM at Zurich’s Advisory Council for Catastrophes (ACC) Meeting 2025. They were joined online by Marco Pagani, Head of Seismic Hazards, and Vitor Silva, Head of Risk Engineering. GEM presented its collaboration with Zurich on earthquake models covering ground shaking, liquefaction, and landslides, developed with open data, models, and scientific expertise. The ACC brings together academia and industry to examine multi-peril scenarios and their implications for risk management. GEM’s contribution highlighted how earthquake risk research can inform practical applications, supporting stronger strategies for resilience.

GEM Presents at Aon CAT Analytics Workshop in Milan

2 October 2025 – Milan, Italy

GEM contributed to the 1st Aon CAT Analytics Workshop, “Beyond Models: Advanced Catastrophe Analytics for Natural Hazards”, held at Aon’s offices in Milan. GEM Secretary General Helen Crowley presented “The Path to the 2026 Global Release”, outlining progress toward GEM’s upcoming global seismic risk model. Marco Pagani, Head of Seismic Hazard, spoke on GEM’s new global stochastic event set and recent advances in hazard modelling. The workshop gathered experts from Aon and Impact Forecasting to discuss next-generation catastrophe models, automated event response, and data innovation. GEM’s participation highlighted the importance of open, science-based hazard and risk models in strengthening catastrophe analytics for the insurance and reinsurance sectors.

Seismic Risk in Islands Highlighted at IDRiM 2025

28 September-1 October 2025 – Samos, Greece

GEM took part in the 15th International Conference of the Integrated Disaster Risk Management (IDRiM) Society, held in Samos under the theme “Advancing disaster risk reduction in islands and remote areas.” Catalina Yepes-Estrada, GEM’s Exposure Development Lead, presented “Understanding Seismic Hazard and Risk in Islands and Remote Areas,” addressing the distinct vulnerabilities of geographically isolated regions. The conference examined how accessibility – physical, social, and institutional – shapes disaster preparedness and response. GEM’s participation underscored the value of open models, shared knowledge, and collaborative approaches in strengthening resilience, particularly in contexts where resources and access remain limited.

Multi-Risk Perspectives Shared at RETURN Autumn School

22-26 September 2025 – Sestri Levante, Italy

Vitor Silva, Head of Risk Engineering at GEM, took part in the PhD Autumn School organised under the RETURN (Multi-Risk Science for Resilient Communities under a Changing Climate) project. The event, hosted at the former Convent of the Annunziata, brought together early-career researchers working on seismic and flood risk in urban settings, emphasising cross-cutting lectures, hands-on workshops, and a “3-Minute Flash Talk” competition. Participants explored interactions among hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and climate effects in the context of multi-risk modelling. GEM’s involvement highlighted the value of integrating earthquake risk techniques within broader climate resilience research.

Photo credit: Vitor Silva

Global Forecasting Dialogue in Shenyang

8-11 July 2025 – Shenyang, Liaoning, China

Marco Pagani, Head of Seismic Hazards, represented GEM at the International Symposium on Earthquake Forecasting, held in Shenyang to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1975 Haicheng M7.3 earthquake. The symposium convened over 300 experts from 38 countries to discuss advances in earthquake predictability, scientific innovation in forecasting, and their role in disaster risk reduction. Organised by the China Earthquake Administration’s Institute of Earthquake Forecasting, the event aimed to bridge past successes with new technologies and global cooperation in forecasting science. 

GEM Participates in Oasis Insight Conference 2025

25 September 2025 – Paris, France

GEM joined experts from the insurance, modelling, and risk sectors at the Oasis Loss Modelling Framework Ltd. Insight Conference at the SCOR offices in Paris. GEM was represented by Product Manager, Pratim Kalita, who engaged in discussions on natural catastrophe risk in Europe, including perils ranging from windstorms and hailstorms to earthquakes. The one-day event provided a platform for knowledge exchange on emerging challenges and opportunities in catastrophe modelling. GEM’s participation highlighted its role in connecting scientific models with practical risk applications, contributing to stronger collaboration between research and industry to inform risk management and resilience strategies.

Future Earthquake Loss Scenarios at Asia NAT CAT & Climate Change Conference

25-26 August 2025 – Bangkok, Thailand

Helen Crowley, Secretary General of the Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation, delivered a keynote address at the 21st Asia NAT CAT & Climate Change Conference, organised by Asia Insurance Review. Her presentation, “Projecting Earthquake Risk to 2065: Exposure, Losses, and the Carbon Cost of Disasters,” examined future earthquake loss scenarios in the Asia-Pacific under different Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs). The analysis highlighted how exposure, policy choices, and development patterns will shape both human and economic losses, as well as the carbon footprint of damaged infrastructure. GEM’s contribution underscored the role of open, collaborative science in guiding risk-informed investment and long-term resilience strategies across the region.