European Seismological Commission General Assembly begins in Istanbul

The 40th General Assembly of the European Seismological Commission (ESC2026) is currently taking place in Istanbul, bringing together over 750 experts and researchers from more than 60 countries. The event focuses on earthquake science, seismic hazard analysis, early warning systems, and urban resilience.

During the opening ceremony, Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi emphasized the importance of disaster preparedness, stating that while earthquakes cannot be prevented, their transformation into disasters can be mitigated through proactive state capacity and engineering. He noted that building safe cities is a matter of public morality and a long-term investment for future generations.

The congress is organized through a collaboration involving AFAD, the Presidency of Local Governments and Disaster Policies Board, Middle East Technical University (METU), Boğaziçi University Kandilli Observatory, and the Turkish Earthquake Engineering Association. The program includes 59 scientific sessions and hundreds of oral and poster presentations aimed at sharing scientific knowledge on disaster risk reduction and urban reconstruction.