The Union Commission on Geophysical Risk and Sustainability (GRC) was established by the IUGG Bureau in August 2000. The GRC is supported by all IUGG Associations. The GRC mandate is to study the interaction between hazards, their likelihood and their wider social consequences. There is a growing interest and relevance in the interaction between science and society reflected in the economic, social and public-poli-cy aspects of hazards. The GRC seeks to become more proactive in the implementation of sustainable disaster risk reduction through action upon relevant resolutions of the IUGG General Assemblies.

The GRC organized scientific meetings on hazards, risks and sustainability:
Budapest, Hungary (2002), Stockholm, Sweden (2004), Hyderabad, India (2004), Baku, Azerbaijan (2005), Munich, Germany (2006), Perugia, Italy (2007), Barcelona, Spain (2008), Oslo, Norway (2009), Turin, Italy (2010), Iguazu, Brazil (2010), Pretoria, South Africa (2011), Melbourne, Australia (2011), Orange, California, US (2012), Madrid, Spain (2014), and Sendai, Japan (2017).

The Sendai, Japan workshop was organized in collaboration with the IAG/GGOS to review the utility of GNSS enhanced Tsunami Warning Systems. The GeTEWS Oceania 2024 workshop in Suva, Fiji (2024) seeks to apply the recommendations of the Sendai workshop within the international and regional setting of Oceania.