Reducing Disaster Risk in Urban Settings
Thu, 19 Mar 2015 09:16:00 GMT
ANDROID Disaster Resilience Network and its Professors Dilanthi Amaratunga & Richard Haigh were part of the organization of Reducing Diaster Risk in Urban Settings - Intergovernmental Segment, Ministerial Roundtable, held on the 16th March 2015, at Sendai International Centre as part of the UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction.
Impacts of natural hazards are increasing in urban centres. These include storm surges, heat stress, extreme precipitation, inland and coastal flooding, drought, increased aridity and water scarcity. Urban landslides are particularly devastating and represent a major threat to urban communities in many cities. Cities are complex and inter-dependent systems and clearer priorities are needed to guide local urban planning. A major focus of the session was on implementation mechanisms to address urban risk reduction, sustainable development goals, climate change and humanitarian agendas. The session also discussed the economic case for risk reduction in urban areas, for inclusion into budgets, plans and investment decisions of national and local governments.
The roundtable discussion was guided by the following questions:
- What models for national and local authorities cooperation on reducing disaster risk have proven results in urban areas?
- Which actions (e.g. urban planning, land use, building codes, decentralization) do we prioritise and how do we build a culture to reduce disaster risk? How can it be done?
- Will establishing and monitoring of urban risk as a specific work area assist to focus policy and financial resources to reduce disaster risk? How can it be done?
The following countries had representation at this Ministerial Round Table: Albania, Armenia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Indonesia, Italy, Madagascar, Marshall Islands, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Niger, Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Samoa, Sengal, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Ubekistan and Zambia.
