Observatorio de Riesgos Catastróficos Globales (ORCG) is at a critical juncture. We have secured funds for AI governance projects, but we are at risk of discontinuing all projects in other GCR areas, which will have a detrimental impact on GCR scenario preparedness. We want to know whether there is enough demand from funders for the lines of work below to decide whether to continue them, by raising at least $55,000 within the next month. For this reason, We would like to urge funders in EA to consider this proposal. If you are not interested in supporting these projects, it would be invaluable if you could direct us to other potential funders who you think might be interested.
Why Support ORCG?
ORCG has a proven track record of translating research into actionable policy and building resilience. Our approach is evidence-based, collaborative, and focused on practical solutions. Supporting ORCG means investing in a more resilient future (see our Recaps: 2023, 2024). Our work has been featured in popular Spanish language news outlets (El Tiempo, El País), and we have collaborated with a top Latin American university (UNAM), for example, through a GCR conference and a book (forthcoming).
We believe that this work is particularly important now that rapid AI progress seems likely to heighten geopolitical tensions, undermine nuclear deterrence, expedite bioweapon design, and facilitate cyberattacks to infrastructure.
Our Urgent Projects:
- Enhancing Global Resilience to Emerging Critical Risks (ECRs): (60-250K) We are working with several OECD delegations (Spain, Colombia, Chile and Costa Rica) to implement the OECD Framework to manage ECRs. Your support will ensure that we have the resources to collaborate directly with national delegations to implement specific actions such as foresight workshops, development of prioritized recommendations, simulation exercises, and the creation of adaptable strategic plans. The objective is to strengthen national capacity to anticipate, assess, and manage these risks, such as novel pandemics or those derived from advanced AI, enhancing resilience through targeted support and capacity building.
- Building Food Resilience to GCRs in Brazil: (50-85K) We believe there is a policy window in Brazil now to incorporate GCRs into their national risk management plan, in a way that builds resilience to extreme food catastrophes such as a nuclear war. Your support will enable us to launch an advocacy campaign, via developing and disseminating a technical report and policy briefs for Brazilian stakeholders in the government and multilateral organizations. The main recommendations are incorporating abrupt sunlight reduction scenarios in the risk register and implementing a response plan.
- Advancing Biosecurity Education in Latin America: (38-78K) To counter rising biological threats, we're urgently building biosecurity capacity. With your urgent support, we can launch a workshop in Mexico with IBSEN to train people in biosecurity. This will lower global catastrophic risk by: reducing accidental releases, strengthening early detection and response, countering bioterrorism and biocrime, improving international collaboration, and setting a regional standard. The workshop will focus on identifying biological threats based on local realities, proposing immediate actions, mapping risks, and creating free-access training materials tailored to regional needs.
You can help us with a donation at the following link. If you cannot support us with a donation for these projects, it would be invaluable if you could:
- Direct us to other potential funders whom you think might be interested.
- Share this post with people in your network who you think would be interested
- Provide feedback on the comment section or by e-mail.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post, and remember that funding ORCG means investing in a more resilient future.
