Opening remarks by SRSG Mizutori at the Local Leaders Forum: Towards Inclusive, Safe, Resilient & Sustainable Cities

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Opening remarks by Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction at the Local Leaders Forum: Towards Inclusive, Safe, Resilient & Sustainable Cities

Monday 23 May 2022

Governor of Bali, His Excellency Dr. Sukawati,

Head of the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management BNPB His Excellency Suharyanto,

Mayors and Local Leaders from around the world and all distinguished delegates and participants at this Local Leaders Forum ahead of the 7^th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction

Good afternoon to you all. Thank you for this opportunity to make some remarks at the closing of your forum.

I can see from the agenda that you have had a full and enriching afternoon. I trust that you shared many experiences and practical reflections on how to better protect your cities and citizens.

The theme for today’s Forum - Towards Inclusive, Safe, Resilient & Sustainable Cities – is more important than ever. We are living in an era of triple and overlapping crises: the climate emergency, the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, and the continuing tragedy in Ukraine, as well as in other countries that are affected by armed conflict.

As Mayors and Local Government leaders you can play a vital role in leading dialogue and fostering engagement with communities in your municipalities, including, of course, those most exposed and vulnerable to disasters.

Last month, the organization that I lead - the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, UNDRR, launched the Global Assessment Report, GAR2022, titled ‘Our World at Risk: Transforming Governance for a Resilient Future’.

This report highlights that our perception of risk is broken; and that our resilient future depends upon mending it. Only then, will we see the policy, finance, and development decisions that reduce vulnerabilities and protect people from danger. Local governments are on the frontline of opportunity in disaster risk reduction. If officials invest the time and resources to understand and reduce risks, then they can help their communities thrive.

This is why UNDRR, along with our partners, launched Making Cities Resilient 2030, our flagship program for local governments. I know that most, if not all, local governments here today are part of MCR2030 and I commend you for joining.

When you return home, I would like to ask you to keep spreading the word. Encourage your national governments to prioritize urban resilience. Encourage more of your sister local governments to join MCR2030 and to share their experiences with other cities. Encourage private sector service providers to use MCR2030 to reach out to cities and provide technical services. And finally, please encourage national and global institutions to increase financing options for climate and disaster resilience at the local level.

Please also note that UNDRR’s online Disaster Resilience Scorecard is now available to help in these efforts

Together we can ensure that MCR2030 Leaves No Municipality Behind.

I am delighted that we will now have the opportunity to publicly acknowledge some of the leading local governments in our MCR2030 network. Before we do so, I would like to sincerely thank our host for this Global Platform – the Government of Indonesia and the Province of Bali.

You have provided us with a magnificent venue and setting, wonderful hospitality, and an inspiring partnership as we have put together this 7^th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Thank you very much.