The UP Resilience Institute was established as a proactive hub of benchmark innovative information vital to the nation's efforts in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Its mission is to empower local communities through multidisciplinary actions toward resilience.
As a response through its Memorandum No. PAEP-16-67, the University of the Philippines Board of Regents (BOR) approved on 28 July 2016 the establishment of the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute (UP RI) to have the following functions and programs concerning multi-hazard, multidisciplinary, multisectoral, comprehensive disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM):
Research and Creative Work: undertake policy research, action research and interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary research or creative work
Knowledge Sharing: disseminate research findings, creative works and innovations
Education: establish non-degree educational programs and support degree programs within the UP System
Institute Building: improve the capability of the UP System as an agent of change for disaster resilience in the Philippines and the Pacific Rim region.
Special Provision in the 2018 General Appropriations Act:
The UP NOAH Center
The UP NOAH Center is the core component of the UP Resilience Institute. It was formally adopted by the University of the Philippines during the Board of Regents 1325th meeting on February 23, 2017 as a research center for climate actions and disaster risk reduction and management. An Executive Order signed by UP President Danilo L. Concepcion, (EO PLDC 17-03), established the NOAH Center as a research institute in the UP System.
The vital role of UP NOAH’s work is producing freely accessible, accurate, reliable, and relevant scientific disaster data. It also highlights a multidisciplinary approach in assessing risk and using the lens of different scientific areas. This ensures that Filipinos are provided an integrative appraisal of the natural hazards that put them in danger.
"UP NOAH Center's benefits go far beyond its research value. It has literally been a lifesaver for millions of Filipinos threatened by natural disasters like floods, landslides, and storm surges. It deserves a new lease on life, and UP is happy to welcome it into its fold." - UP President Danilo L. Concepcion
25, October 2018 / Resilience
On October 10 to 12 2018, representatives from the UP Resilience Institute joined the Department of Social Welfare and Development...
15, October 2018 / Resilience
The National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP): Thematic Consultation on Adaptation-Mitigation Nexus Analysis Knowledge and Capacity Development workshop is a...
24, September 2018 / Resilience
Last Friday, September 21, 2018, Dr. Mahar Lagmay, Mr. Jake Mendoza and Mr. Bojo Sta. Maria of the UP Resilience...
21, September 2018 / Resilience
Yesterday, a rain induced landslide hit Naga City, Cebu. So far, it has been reported that 21 people are dead...
“As the Sendai Framework says, the disaster prevention and mitigation efforts as well as climate adaptation efforts of the country must…
Dr. Kristoffer Berse is an Assistant Professor at the National College of Public Administration and Governance (or 
NCPAG). He has been involved in disaster and climate change work since 2002 and his work encompasses capacity building, research, knowledge management and teaching. He has a multi-disciplinary background in urban development and planning, environmental studies, and public administration.
With a PhD degree of Urban Engineering from the University of Tokyo, he handles mostly public policy courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels, including a special course on disaster governance. Outside of teaching and research, he serves as a consultant for government, civil society and international development organizations in areas broadly crisscrossing the intersections of sustainable urban development, public policy, climate change, and disaster risk management.
Recently, he wrote a chapter on the role of interurban cooperation in humanitarian aid for the book "Crossing Borders: Governing Environmental Disasters in a Global Urban Age in Asia and the Pacific” (Springer, 2018). This multidisciplinary book examines the diverse ways in which environmental disasters with compounding impacts are being governed as they traverse sovereign territories across rapidly urbanising societies in Asia and the Pacific. Combining theoretical advances with contextually rich studies, the book examines efforts to tackle the complexities of cross-border environmental governance. This book helps bridge the gap between theory and practice by offering fresh insights and contrasting explanations for variations in transboundary disaster governance regimes among urbanising populations in the Asia-Pacific.
National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG)
Associate Professor
