Regional Dialogue 10. Compound Risk and the Data Gap

The data exists to understand disaster risk in South & Southeast Asia but rarely reaches the decision-makers who need it - what are the barriers?

Across South and South-East Asia, compound risks are multiplying: land subsidence meets sea-level rise in Jakarta; typhoons compound with unplanned urban growth in the Philippines; cyclone surge interacts with saline intrusion in Bangladesh.

Session 10 of the Regional Dialogue Series brings together researchers, practitioners, and experts to examine the gap between data and governance action with a focus on the political, institutional, and epistemological challenges. Experts will discuss what it would take for compound risk evidence to inform policy in South and South-East Asia.

Session 10: Compound Risk and the Data Gap - Why Evidence Fails to Reach Decisions in South and South-East Asian Disaster and Ocean Governance 🗓️ Thurs 30 July 2026, 14:00 Kuala Lumpur 📍 Online via Zoom 🔗 Register

Guest speakers

Dr Muhammad Zahir Bin Ramli Associate Professor at International Islamic University of Malaysia

Dr. Muhammad Zahir bin Ramli has a background in physical oceanography, numerical analysis, engineering and computer simulations. Dr. Zahir is experienced in both development and applications of computational methods for fluid-structure interactions in coastal engineering.

Dr Dilanthi Amaratunga Professor of Disaster Risks and Climate Resilience at Loughborough University

Dr Amaratunga has over 30 years experience in disaster resilience and recovery within the Built Environment, built environment and urbanisation, multi-hazard disaster risks, vulnerability, climate change, and their interrelationships. She takes a broadly interdisciplinary and integrated approach to these key areas of focus and explores disasters as ambivalent multipliers, influencing the pathways from climate change to health impacts.