The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development has officially endorsed the COST Innovators Grant Sustaining AGITHAR – building a Global Tsunami Model Association as a UNESCO Ocean Decade Project as part of the Ocean Decade Tsunami Programme.
In 2017, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), known as ‘The Ocean Decade.’ The vision of the Ocean Decade is to provide transformative ocean science solutions for sustainable development, connecting people and the ocean. It brings together scientists, resource providers, governments, businesses and industry, philanthropic Foundations, UN agencies, and many other stakeholders. The aim is to generate scientific knowledge and develop the partnerships needed to support a well-functioning, productive, resilient, and sustainable ocean.
The objective of Sustaining AGITHAR is to establish the Global Tsunami Model (GTM) as an independent entity. GTM serves as a collaborative platform for researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders to share data, methodologies, and best practices for tsunami risk reduction worldwide.
It builds upon the foundations of the COST Action AGITHAR (2019-2023), which developed and refined Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard and Risk Analysis (PTHA/PTRA) methods and workflows. While PTHA and PTRA offer practical approaches for quantifying and communicating uncertainty in tsunami risk management, their adoption remains limited.
AGITHAR, which was granted a COST Innovators Grant Sustaining AGITHAR in 2023 has been working to further develop a product portfolio tailored to the needs of diverse communities. It explores commercialisation opportunities and secure sustainable funding sources. The ultimate goal is to establish a permanent office focused on communication, coordination, and information exchange, supporting civil society in tsunami disaster risk reduction. GTM seeks to bridge this gap by ensuring broad access to reliable tsunami risk assessments, ultimately improving disaster preparedness and response.
“The COST Innovators Grant, following the COST Action, was instrumental in advancing our topic to a state allowing for the foundation of an association and being able to sustain services that grant us the commendation as a UN Ocean Decade Project,” says Jörn Behrens, the Action Chair and Professor Numerical Methods in Geosciences, Hamburg, Germany.
Post COST Innovators Grant, this network is alive and thriving and has recently established a legal entity, the Global Tsunami Model Association, in order to continue their valuable work.
What it means to be endorsed for Sustaining AGITHAR
To be endorsed as an Ocean Decade Project is an outstanding achievement for Sustaining AGITHAR in order to share scientific knowledge and leverage visibility for their important work.
Prof. Jörn Behrens adds: “The endorsement as a UN Ocean Decade Project means a lot to us, since it will accelerate the ability to connect with stakeholders of diverse backgrounds and will allow us to apply best practices in tsunami hazard and risk assessment for improved protection of people and property”.
Additional information
View the Sustaining AGITHAR webpage
View the network website
Sustaining AGITHAR is not the first COST Action to be endorsed by the UN: MAF WORLD was endorsed as a UN Ocean Decade Action, NET4Age-Friendly was recognised by the UN as a good practice; and SEA-UNICORN was endorsed as a UN Ocean Decade Action.