30 January 2023

23 Palestinian cities joined the MCR2030 on a journey to reduce risk and build resilience

Source(s): United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Regional Office for Arab States

Ramallah, 26 January 2023, The cities of Palestine have joined the Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) determined to enhance their understanding of risk reduction and resilience, to improve their strategic planning to reduce risk and build resilience, and to take actions and progress along the resilience roadmap. 23 Palestinian cities till now are on the pathway to resilience, pledging to make the cities safer, preventing risks, and promoting innovation and investments.

“The Palestinian people face multiple challenges on many fronts, but our aim today is to ensure that disasters are no longer one of them,” said Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) in her opening remarks during the MCR2030 workshop that took place in Ramallah. “In the last two years, nearly 1,500 cities around the world have joined the MCR2030 initiative and we are proud that among them are 23 Palestinian cities. We are eager to see these cities follow the road to resilience and to see more cities joining them.”

"We, on behalf of the Palestinian government, are working hard to translate all our international commitments into plans for implementation, as we are working to mobilize all parties to work together to strengthen our cities and communities against disasters," said the Minister of Local Government Majdi Al-Saleh, representing the Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh during the MCR2030 workshop.

The workshop included a presentation of the Urban Planning and Disaster Risk Reduction Center of An-Najah National University for the risk assessment project and the integration of resilience in local governance in the West Bank and Gaza, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, as well as the Making Cities Resilient 2030 campaign.

There are now 1,483 cities from 71 countries and territories hosting 462 million people. Also, it has mobilized more than 1,476 member municipalities around the world that have committed to strengthening their climate and disaster resilience.

Palestinian cities are joining the initiative following increased collaboration with UNDRR Regional Office for Arab States on reducing risk and building resilience. The UNDRR ROAS works with the State of Palestine through the National Disaster Risk Management Centre (DRM), based in the Prime Minister’s Office. Throughout its DRR work, the National DRM Centre coordinates closely with the coordinating bodies for the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Palestine is keen on ensuring coherence with the other global agendas in all their efforts.

The UNDRR ROAS was able to develop a country risk profile, coordinate the National Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework, and enhance the achievement of MCR2030. Palestine is considered among the most advanced countries in terms of disaster risk reduction (DRR) governance, as the State has established the DRR institutional and legal framework, with a draft law under endorsement, established the National DRR Platform, and been developing a National Strategic Framework for DRR, as a basis for a National DRR Strategy and Action Plan in line with Sendai Framework.

MCR2030 is a unique cross-stakeholder initiative for improving local resilience through advocacy, sharing knowledge and experiences, establishing mutually reinforcing city-to-city learning networks, injecting technical expertise, connecting multiple layers of government, and building partnerships.