UN Global Sustainable Solutions Winter School

The UN Global Sustainable Solutions Winter School is a knowledge exchange platform, an opportunity to learn practical skills and network with practitioners and scholars. The Winter School provides an international approach to the following topics: 

• Nature-based Solutions for Disaster Risk Reduction (ECO-DRR) and Climate Adaptation

• Water Security, enhancing understanding of the processes and conditions needed for safe, secure, sustainable, and sufficient water for community development 

Since its creation in 2020, the Winter School has reached over 200 students across the globe, half of which are UMass Amherst students. The next Winter School will take place in January 2026. 

"Ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) is the sustainable management, conservation, and restoration of ecosystems to reduce disaster risk, to achieve sustainable and resilient development (Estrella and Saalismaa, 2013). Well-managed ecosystems, such as wetlands, forests, and coastal systems, act as natural infrastructure, reducing physical exposure to many hazards and increasing the socio-economic resilience of people and communities by sustaining local livelihoods and providing essential natural resources such as food, water and building materials (Morawetz and Nehren, 2005; Sudmeier-Rieux and Ash, 2009). Ecosystem management not only offers an opportunity to strengthen natural infrastructure and human resilience against hazard impacts, but also generates a range of other social, economic, and environmental benefits for multiple stakeholders, which in turn feed back into reduced risk."

CNRD-PEDRR (2013) Disasters, Environment and Risk Reduction – Eco-DRR Master’s Module. Cologne and Geneva: Center for Natural Resources and Development, Partnership on Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction.