Statement by Ms. Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, Launch of Making Cities Resilient 2030

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Statement by Ms. Mami Mizutori

Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction

Launch of Making Cities Resilient 2030

28 October 2020

The ten-year-old Making Cities Resilient Campaign concludes at the end of 2020.

Today I’m delighted to announce the launch of its successor – MCR2030 – after almost two years of consultations with cities, governments and partners. It is a grand alliance, with an emphasis on moving from advocacy to implementation, which is fitting for the ‘Decade of Action’ initiated by the UN Secretary-General.

By 2050 two-thirds of the world’s population will be urban.  Getting cities right will be the key for ensuring socially, economically and environmentally sustainable development. The resilience of cities will be vital for accomplishing the Sustainable Development Goals and achieving other global frameworks.

Cities, whether they be daring cities, smart cities, connected cities, cultured cities, emerging cities – whatever the brand, whatever the location – in order to achieve resilience, will have to address the underlying drivers of risk, which may include poverty, education, health, and environmental degradation, among others. More than anything, a holistic and systems approach to resilience must be adopted by cities.  MCR2030 aims to provide the framework for that approach.

The goal of MCR2030 is to ensure cities become inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable by 2030, contributing directly to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 11, and other global frameworks, including the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Paris Agreement and the New Urban Agenda.

Co-created by partners and city networks, MCR2030 will offer cities a clear, three-stage resilience roadmap to assessing, planning and implementing risk reduction and resilience-building initiatives. The resilience roadmap will link cities within a peer-to-peer learning environment and communities of practice, supported by access to tools, technical specialists and advisers.

Recognising that access to finance is one of the biggest hurdles to reducing risk, MCR2030 will provide a platform that helps cities strengthen their ability to access funds, make their procurement processes more efficient and allow cities to find specialist service providers and investors for actions and initiatives.

MCR2030 will run from January 2021 until the end of 2030 and will cover the following areas:

• First, providing advisory support for improved DRR and resilience planning, climate finance, municipal finance and climate adaptation;
• Second, improving coordination between National and local governments and national associations of local governments;
• And third, forging strong partnerships at the local level for more efficient implementation. 

If you are representing a city or local government: MCR2030 is a place and a community where you can find guidance and support to enhance your understanding of risk to create a safe, prosperous, resilient environment for your communities. All cities and local governments are highly encouraged to sign up as MCR2030 member cities.

If you are an organization or an individuals working with cities: Cities at different stages need different levels of support from you to progress along the resilience roadmap. Any governmental, non-governmental or civil society organization, development agency, academia and research institution, private sector entity, UN agency or individual with specific knowledge and expertise that can support cities to progress along the resilience roadmap are encouraged to join as MCR2030 partners.
 

We hope MCR2030 will grow and prosper thanks to a focus on these new areas of work. We look forward to working with all of you over the next decade of action to make cities and communities safe, inclusive, resilient and sustainable.