A risk describes an event or an action
that could possibly occur, but which is not certain. Risks could be related,
for instance, to a person’s health and wellbeing, social relations,
professional and financial situation, or housing situation. Risks can also stem
from the environment or climate, they can be related to actions or inaction of
others, to the reliability of service provision or policy measures. A risk can
affect an individual or groups of persons. Risks often derive from barriers and
obstacles that a person is confronted with.
Risk management, that is preventive and
remediating measures, are typically informed by a risk assessment. They can
take place ex ante and ex post. Ex ante measures set in before a risky event occurs and take a
preventive approach. Ex post measures
respond when a risky event has occurred and take a remediating approach.[1]
[1]Swiss Committee for UNICEF (2011), Vulnerable
children in Switzerland, Safeguarding the rights of every child, A discussion
of a systemic approach to the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of
the Child, Zürich, Swiss Committee for UNICEF. Dercon, S. (2001), Assessing
vulnerability to poverty, Oxford University. Alwang, J., Siegel, P.B.,
Jorgensen, S.L. (2001), Vulnerability: A view from different disciplines, Social
Protection Discussion Paper No. 0115, The World Bank.