Spain and the OECD will organise the International Conference on Disaster Resilience in Valencia in 2026

Meeting between the Minister for Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, and the Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Mathias Cormann

The International Conference, jointly organised by the Ministry and the OECD as part of this initiative, will take place in Valencia in March 2026.

The one-and-a-half day conference will bring together public officials, experts and professionals from countries that have faced climate disasters and emergencies in recent years, such as Germany, Belgium, the United States, Greece, Japan and Türkiye, as well as specialists from the academic world. The objective will be to promote peer-to-peer learning and exchange of experiences to improve natural disaster risk management, response mechanisms, coordination between different levels of government and long-term resilience.

Minister Ángel Víctor Torres stressed that "climate change is a reality that forces us, as a society, to have better instruments for prevention, preparedness, response and recovery in the face of the natural and climatic disasters we are already suffering. It is a global phenomenon, and that is why the exchange of experiences between countries is essential to provide more guarantees of protection. We talk about anticipating and responding, but also about how misinformation can affect the management of an emergency. That is why the International Conference we are organising together with the OECD will be very useful. I am sure of it."

OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann noted that "disasters are becoming increasingly complex and costly for countries and regions in the OECD and beyond. We are working with Spain to advance preparations for this important international conference in Valencia and to launch our new OECD Regional Disaster Resilience Platform. The Platform will help countries share practical experiences and strengthen their policies to improve preparedness, accelerate recovery and make regions and cities more resilient."

Discussions will address key issues such as planning and early response, combating misinformation and misinformation during emergencies or the protection of vulnerable people.

A special session will analyse lessons learned from the DANA in Valencia in 2024 as a case study, identifying good practices and areas for improvement in prevention, mitigation and reconstruction policies.

The Conference will also serve to formalise the official launch of the OECD Regional Disaster Resilience Platform, a new international community aimed at facilitating continued co-operation between member and non-member countries, regions, cities and experts on prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. Spain will assume the inaugural chair of the Platform during its first year, in a determined push for multilevel governance, territorial coordination and the strengthening of social and economic resilience. The knowledge and experiences generated through the Platform will be regularly shared with the OECD's Regional Development Policy Committee, enabling the further development of analytical tools and public policy guidance to improve disaster risk management in member and partner countries.

Recent experiences in the OECD show that natural disasters are a growing and shared challenge that requires improved co-ordination, enhanced cross-country learning and the positioning of territorial resilience as a strategic priority.

With the Valencia International Conference in 2026 and the presidency of the new Platform, Spain consolidates its role as a benchmark in resilience policies, multilevel cooperation and emergency response.

Non official translation