Interview with the programme directors

"The organisations that work with Disaster Risk Management around the world are requesting people with specific skills. People that they have a need for and that they can use in their organisations in the near future”, says programme director and Associate Professor Marcus Abrahamsson.

Magnus Hagelsteen, the second programme director and a lecturer on the programme, continues:

“We have created a programme that has synergies between disaster risk management and climate change adaptation because these two areas are strongly connected. A growing number of governments and international organisations acknowledge the necessity of increasing their efforts in order to develop safe and sustainable societies. When the climate changes, disasters follow and unfortunately it is a growing trend. So, our programme is heavily focused on risk reduction, preparedness, and capacity development in order to make society more resilient.”

“Yes”, says Dr Abrahamsson, “our programme is unique in that sense. A lot of other programmes in this field focus on the first response and dealing with the disaster after it happens. We don’t. Of course it is part of the programme, but focus is on prevention and risk assessment. That is why professional organisations in this field are all so positive about this Master’s programme, as it will help to meet the need for qualified and professional staff.”

Examples of courses

The course Capacity Development deals with the issue of capacity development and assessment and has been highlighted as one of the most important requisites to substantially reduce disaster losses. Through lectures, literature seminars and exercises the course discusses different theoretical approaches and challenges to capacity development, different models of how to analyse and assess capacity at various levels, and how to design and review capacity development projects for disaster risk management and climate change adaptation, i.e. project management. The course is to a large extent based on case studies and real capacity development projects for disaster risk management. These are mainly from an international context, but the approaches to capacity development are also applicable in a national or local context working for governmental agencies, municipalities, consultancy firms, fire and rescue services and international humanitarian and development organisations.

In Preparedness and Planning the objective of the course is to prepare students so that they are able to plan and implement a range of preparedness measures for disasters in various contexts, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of such measures. There is a strong focus on practical application of various methods and tools, e.g. contingency planning. The course also includes elements of capacity development related to preparedness and planning.

Another example is the Elective Internship course where the students join an organisation approached by the student or found with help from the programme. Organisations such as WFP (World Food Programme), Save the Children, UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund), UN OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs), UNISDR (United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction), the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) and CADRI (Capacity for Disaster Reduction Initiative) will all be collaborating with Lund University for this MA programme. A lot of them will be offering internships and all of them will offer support, knowledge and experience.

About the programme directors

The programme directors not only work at the University, but are both also active in the field.

Magnus Hagelsteen has worked for 12 years for the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) on both a strategic and an operational level and has dealt with external relations with the UN, EU, NATO/PfP, NGOs and the Red Cross. His latest missions were to Nepal in spring 2013 and Haiti in 2010.

Associate Professor Marcus Abrahamsson is head of the Division of Risk Management and Societal Safety at Lund University and is also active on the field staff roster for the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency and has been engaged in capacity development projects related to disaster risk management in different parts of the world, such as collaborating with the WFP and UNICEF in East Africa with preparedness activities and with educational initiatives related to risk assessment and contingency planning in collaboration with the IFRC in West Africa.

*The courses mentioned above may be subject to change. The programme aims to provide qualifications for both professional activities in society and research (third cycle) studies.