Workshop on Urban Risk Reduction and Making Cities Resilient: Towards the development and implementation of local disaster risk reduction strategies

Background and Introduction

Cities are hubs for ideas, commerce, culture, science, productivity, social development and much more. At their best, cities have enabled people to advance socially and economically. Yet now that half of the world’s population live in cities, making sustainable and resilient cities - amidst a changing climate, rapidly depleting resources, and unplanned urbanization - is one of our greatest challenges and opportunities.

The engagement of cities and local authorities has been at the forefront of discussion in many of the global forums including the Third UN World Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) in March 2015 when 187 UN member states adopted the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 – the global blueprint for disaster risk reduction (DRR). Cities are key to tackling local risks and it is highly encouraged for cities to build resilience through sustainable and inclusive development – development that addresses the root causes of existing risks and prevents the creation of new ones. 

Through the Making Cities Resilient (MCR) Campaign, launched in 2010 with an aim to increase political engagement and raise awareness on disaster risk reduction at the local level, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) has been supporting the local governments in reducing risk, addressing sustainable development challenges, and to achieve target ‘e’ of the Sendai Framework and indicator 11b of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), i.e. the development of DRR strategies and action plans.

Planning and development of cities must now give consideration to the consequences of hazards such as earthquakes, hydro-meteorological risks and others.  The implication of this reality is the need for countries to focus their collective energies to create a safer world for urban dwellers and develop a series of innovative approaches to meet this challenge. 

This workshop, while promoting the importance of effective climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, aims to:

• Provide an overview on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and its linkage to Sustainable Development Goals: from the global framework to local implementation
• Introduce the Making Cities Resilient Campaign and share useful tools for assessing the resilience progress in cities including the New Ten Essentials, Quick Risk Estimation, and Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities
• Practice the development of disaster risk reduction and resilience strategies
• Exchange experiences among participants