Cities in Italy to join the “Making Cities Resilient” campaign, just as UNISDR launches Review of the Hyogo Framework for Action

Geneva – In an official ceremony today, the Mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, and the Mayor of Florence, Matteo Renzi, officially marked their cities’ participation in the United Nations World Disaster Reduction Campaign “Making Cities Resilient – My City is Getting Ready!” which involves over 600 cities worldwide. The Mayor of Milan, too, has officially declared her willingness to join the campaign.

By joining, participating mayors and local government officials commit to “Ten Essentials” to make their cities resilient against disaster. The campaign began in May 2010 and was launched by UNISDR and partners at the ICLEI “Resilient Cities 2010” Congress, in Bonn, Germany, at an event was co-hosted by the World Mayors Council on Climate Change.

The cities of Rome and Florence share a common goal of cultural heritage protection. In addition, Florence has been implementing flood protection measures ever since it was hit by a major flood in 1966.

The signing ceremony took place on the same day that the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction launched a review of the Hyogo Framework for Action -- a unique ten-year plan of action to substantially reduce disaster losses in terms of lives and economic damage by 2015. The Framework was endorsed in January 2005, when 168 countries met in Japan, at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction.

The review of the Hyogo Framework for Action conducted by the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction was officially launched today at the Campidoglio Palace by Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, and Franco Gabrielli, Head of the Italian Civil Protection Department.

This Mid-Tem Review highlights progress made by governments to implement the Hyogo Framework for Action, and outlines the next steps for achieving its full implementation by 2015.