UNDRR News

As part of the 124th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly, a meeting was organized on the importance of disaster risk reduction and building sustainable development. Held from 15 to 20 of April in Panama City, the panel was moderated by Maureen Ballestero Vargas, former Vice-President of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica.

The cities of Blumenau, Jaragua do Sul, Rio do Sul, Itajaí, Tubarão and Florianopolis from the southern state of Santa Catarina, Brazil joined the Making Cities Resilient world disaster reduction campaign. Santa Catarina is in an area constantly hit by hydrometeorological phenomena that impact negatively on its population, the participation of these cities in the campaign is very relevant and demonstrates the political commitment of its authorities towards disaster risk reduction.

Municipalities and local Governments of El Salvador are focusing on reducing disaster risk as part of the 2010-2011 World Disaster Reduction campaign - Making Cities Resilient: My City is Getting Ready Campaign.

Mexico City, a high-risk mega city, expects to train 10,000 civil servants on their responsibilities and options to consistently help reduce risks facing their city. The training is sponsored locally and supported by the UNISDR regional office and the Capacity Development for Disaster Reduction Initiative (CADRI) of the UN. Mayor Marcelo Ebrard, known for his commitment to disaster risk reduction and improving the city's resilience to climate change, made an opening statement where he stressed the importance of training decision makers and technical staff from all the City dependencies and departments, especially those that have a multiplying effect on decisions and plans. > Click for links to news coverage

The Dominican Republic became the first country to receive a progress report from the United Nations and partners on its efforts to implement the Hyogo Framework for Action, receiving recommendations to strengthen building codes and incorporate “vulnerability reduction” targets in projects funded by both the public and private sector. Margareta Wahlström, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, presented the report at an event at the Presidential Palace in Santo Domingo.