At the 6th Session of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group (ICG) for the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWS) held in Hyderabad, India, 7-9 April 2009, the ICG adopted the Guidelines for “Tsunami Risk Assessment and Mitigation for the Indian Ocean: Knowing Your Tsunami Risk - and What to Do About it” as prepared by Working Group 3 with the support and cooperation of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Centre in Bangkok (RCB). The Guidelines are also in accordance with the objectives of UNESCO IOC’s COAST MAP IO project, which addresses the need for Indian Ocean countries to develop the tools and capacity to mitigate against ocean-based extreme events. Responding to the need of Member States to build capacity to undertake tsunami risk assessment, UNESCO IOC in collaboration with UNDP RCB is organising a seminar and training workshop on Tsunami Risk Assessment and Mitigation to be held at the Amari Watergate Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand, 3-9 November 2009. The seminar will be conducted over 2 days from 3 to 4 November and will be designed to advise policy and/or decision makers from relevant ministries or agencies responsible for risk assessment at the national level on the key steps required in the process of undertaking risk assessment and its potential impact on achievement of development goals. The seminar will be followed by a training workshop, 5-9 November, aimed at providing hands-on training to technical specialists and emergency managers on the assessment of hazards, vulnerability, capacity and risk and on developing better understanding of risk management.