Assisted by an initiative of the OECD's Global Science Forum, GEM was formed in 2009 as a non-profit foundation in Pavia, Italy, funded through a public-private sponsorship with the vision to create a world that is resilient to earthquakes. GEM's mission is to become one of the world's most complete sources of risk resources and a globally accepted standard for seismic risk assessment; and to ensure that its products are applied in earthquake risk management worldwide.