Strengthening Resilience to Urban Explosive Violence. IBRN Sri Lanka Workshop 2-3 July 2024 - Workshop Report

This report captures key insights from our IBRN workshop, “Strengthening Resilience to Urban Explosive Violence,” held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in July 2024.

This report examines Sri Lanka’s health and emergency response systems, particularly in the context of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings. It explores the country's rebuilding efforts over the past five years and identifies key lessons that can inform future preparedness strategies both in Sri Lanka and globally. Through expert discussions, the event highlighted critical research and policy opportunities to mitigate the impacts of explosive violence.

The workshop focused on two core themes: emergency response to the 2019 Easter Bombings and the subsequent rebuilding process. Key topics covered included:

• Explosive violence data collection and casualty reporting
• Decision-making in emergency communication
• Patterns of blast injuries
• Strengthening emergency response capabilities
• The long-term reverberating effects of explosive violence
• Strategies to mitigate blast injury threats
• Blast-resilient urban design and protective infrastructure