Urban Risk Reduction and Resilience: Capacity Development for Making Cities Resilient to Disasters. Mashhad, Iran

Background

Mashhad is the second most populous city in Iran and the capital of Razavi Khorasan Province. It has a population of about 2,749,374 as recorded in the 2011 census. The city is most famous and revered for housing the tomb of Imam Reza, the eighth Shia Imam. Every year, millions of pilgrims visit the Imam Reza Shrine, where city government put necessary systems in place to protect their safety. Mashhad is mainly exposed to earthquake and flood. Knowing these hazards, vulnerable areas were assessed. In view of this, the city government recognized the need to put in place necessary measures to reduce disaster risk. Mashhad is not only the second important city of Iran (after Tehran) in terms of population, economy, and industry, but it is also the second most exposed city to risk of disasters.

Mashhad is actively working on key policies and legislation to promote disaster risk reduction and management towards achieving sustainable development of the city. It promotes efforts of integrating DRR in its urban development processes, and mitigating risks in reasonable level with the view of preparing to build back better in recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction.

The City of Mashhad is an active participant in the UNISDR Making Cities Resilient Campaign. In 2016, representatives of the City Government visited UNISDR-GETI and agreements were made to organize this workshop. The event was jointly organized by the Mashhad Disaster Management and the ONEA-GETI as part of capacity building development program for Resilient Cities Campaign and to further explore the guidance for implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Participants to the workshop were from the City of Mashhad with few officials from neighbouring cities.

Objectives

The workshop, otherwise known as the training course, was organized to achieve the following objectives:

• Increase political commitment and social demand for disaster resilient development, adapted for climate change, aiming for sustainable development.
• Increase engagement of local government actors in the field of local development and planning with disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation agenda as well as to enhance city planners and decision makers’ ability and commitment to promote disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation through relevant systems, policies, and processes.
• Learn about the Making Cities Resilient Global Campaign and how its tools, materials, and approaches may be used to build local resilience to disasters.
• Build capacities of local experts and officials with a focus on City Resilience Action Plans development and implementation based on MCR Campaign 10 Essentials to make their cities resilient to disasters.

Expected Outcomes

• Trained cadres of city level city officials who understand the methodology for developing theCity Resilience Action Plan
• Hands on exercise in using the City Resilience Assessment Report
• Key discussions on points to consider in drafting the City Resilience Action Plans
• Draft strategy on how to further finalize, ensure endorsement, and effectively implement the City Resilience Action Plan