Desarrollando ciudades resilientes 1 Millón de Escuelas y Hospitales Más Seguros
 

MAYORS CALL FOR SETTING UP TARGETS ON A NEW FRAMEWORK FOR DRR POST 2015.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: UNISDR

Medellín 9 April 2014 - Up to 30 mayors and local government representatives from Africa, The Americas and Europe called to the establishment of targets on a new framework for DRR. Some of these targets refers for example to increase involvement of local authorities  into the design of national strategies of disaster risk, the need to strengthen critical structures as schools and hospitals and the goal of at least 50% of urban areas participating in the Global Campaign "Making Cities Resilient" by 2020. The need for establishing targets were identified  during a private meeting hosted by UNISDR and UN-Habitat, in the framework of the World Urban Forum (WUF7) which takes place this week in Medellín, Colombia. 

 

 

Naasson Kubuya Ndoole, Mayor of Goma (population 160.000), Democratic Republic of Congo, asked for technical assistance, resources and training to start a urban  planning  and management plan. “Goma is highly exposed to volcanic hazards and faces serious challenges for governance such as lack of public space, poor housing, places to cemeteries and accumulation of methane in the Lake Kivu -next to the Rwandan city of Gisenyi-“ he said.

Jean Close, Executive Director of UN-Habitat said that planning is the only mechanism for making cities resilient as part of the 'new urban paradigm for the 21st century’ as discussed within WUF7. “Planning more public space to ensure flows of people and commerce, urban extensions to incorporate informal spaces and then plan/formalize them to ensure access to services, including transport, commerce, and water/sanitation systems”, he said.

UNISDR Chief Margareta Wahlström highlighted that a critical area is addressing governance with an effective coordination of responsibilities, actions, and resources between the national and local authorities.  "More than say that governance is important, we need to be able to put some structure of how to achieve governance along with disaster risk reduction. We have to repeat once and again that disaster risk reduction as a development issue", she said. 
 
The Champions of the UNISDR Global Campaign 'Making Cities Resilient' Graciela Ortúzar Mayoress of Lampa, Chile; José Corral, Mayor of Santa Fe, Argentina; and Aura Saldaña, Mayoress of Sabana de la Mar, Dominican Republic were present at the meeting and along with the other participants concluded that local authorities must be included in the planning of national strategy and remarked the need of an holistic national risk management strategy to achieve disaster risk reduction at the local level. 
 
The meeting was part of a global consultation process at the regional, national and local level started in 2012 that will complement the new international framework for DRR, with aspects not covered by the current framework (HFA 2005-215) next  to conclude at 2015.