The American Red Cross and the International Federation Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have established the Global Disaster Preparedness Center (GDPC) as a reference center to support innovation and learning in disaster preparedness. As one of 12 reference centers in the international Red Cross Red Crescent (RCRC) network, the GDPC aims to enhance disaster management–namely preparedness–capacities of Red Cross and Red Crescent national societies through a service-oriented and demand-driven approach to building community resilience.
With RC/RC national societies and their partners serving as its primary target audience, the GDPC provides services in three main areas — Knowledge Management, Research and Technical Assistance — in order to build national and community level preparedness. While other parts of the Red Cross Red Crescent network are specialized in long-term capacity and program development, the GDPC seeks to complement these efforts by providing specific network-wide services in response to national and community demand for tools and learning on disaster preparedness and resilience. The range of GDPC activities is outlined in the GDPC Activities section on the site, although the site itself is intended to function as a broader platform for collaboration among a wide range of stakeholders, including Red Cross Red Crescent national societies as well as other organizations and individuals championing disaster preparedness and resilience at global, national, and community levels. In this context, as part of the Knowledge Management activities of the Center, the GDPC hosts Preparecenter.org