EMBRACE Glossary of Terms

Introduction

As with any well-founded research project, EMBRACE will gain credibility and usefulness from expressing and referencing clear and well described definitions of the phrases and terms used within its outputs.

Well researched and resourced efforts have been deployed across the Disaster Resilience sector and would be wasted effort for this project to attempt to recreate them. It is also important that the project recognises and values the need for a common nomenclature across the Disaster Risk Resilience sector whenever possible. Such an approach will ensure both the shared comprehension of principles and the interoperability of outcomes and products.

It is not in the interests of EMBRACE to redefine or re-invent perfectly usable and accepted professional terms and definitions. For this reason, the Project partners have accepted a professional baseline known as the ‘Base Glossary’ suite of definitions founded largely (but not exclusively) on the work of the following;

• International Standards Organisation (ISO)
• United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), formerly known as UNISDR and
• the International Federation of Red Cross & Crescents (IFRC).

This ‘Base Glossary’ of terms is the outcome of a project-specific standardisation/alignment activity that was implemented to ensure a common and sound language between researchers working on EMBRACE and for the purpose of supporting focused and comprehensive communication efforts within the project consortium and with external stakeholders.

A second component of the glossary developed is the ‘Project Glossary’. This includes those terms and phrases that are either;

• previously used in Horizon-funded research projects
• new to the Disaster Resilient Societies world due the specialist activities of EMBRACE or,
• accepted terms from the Base Glossary which need ‘flexing’ to fit the activities and context of our work.

The Project Glossary is ongoing and should be considered as ‘work in progress’. It will be kept live for the entire duration of the project as it proposes new entries, stresses and tests its own explanations and definitions. At any given time, the terms and phrases used will range from those receiving a consensus across the project to those that are desired but are immature in development. The Project Glossary will become increasingly credible as time progresses and will be completed for publication towards the final stages of the project.

At this stage of the project, the majority of terms presented have been identified through the research efforts employed through Work Package 2, creation of the Biotoxin Task Force.

It is expected that terms may be removed or newly defined as the project continues. To conclude on the currency of data, please observe the Document history.

The EMBRACE Project is keen to deliver value beyond its original remit, in particular to other projects operating within the same Call area for Disaster Resilient Societies, particularly those represented in the CBRNe and Standardisation Cluster of projects known as CSTAC. This will be achieved through developing and sharing the ‘Base Glossary’ contributed to by all relevant projects in the call and by sharing the evolving EMBRACE ‘Project Glossary’ to avoid duplication and encourage academic consideration and challenge of the definitions or meanings selected.