Local and regional authorities committed to contributing to the achievement of the 2020 Sendai Framework 

Local and regional authorities committed to contributing to the achievement of the 2020 Sendai Framework 

Photo credit: www.wcdrr.org

The Fifth Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction will be held in Cancún (Mexico) from 22 to 26 May 2017. UCLG will participate actively and, together with ICLEI, UNISDR and UN-Habitat, will organise a full day dedicated to the Summit of Local and Regional Governments.

The implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction has been strengthened by the adoption and entry into force of the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda. The international community is starting to appreciate the benefit of resilience and risk reduction, which are phenomena that have a major impact on growth and development in certain regions of the world. Local and regional governments are key players in the implementation of these three agendas, as well as the  Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, which was adopted in 2015.

Local strategies which incorporate resilience and disaster risk reduction

Growing urbanization and major transformations are placing increasing pressure on local governments to implement local strategies which incorporate resilience and disaster risk reduction. The targets set by the Sendai Framework include one which involves substantially increasing the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020. With a view to achieving this target, and particularly the implementation of the Sendai Framework at local level, our regional sections and, more specifically, in Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific, will form partnerships with UNISDR soon, with the assistance of the World Secretariat.

Local authorities central to the Global Alliance for Urban Crises 

At the same time, UCLG and the Task Force for prevention and territorial management of crises are continuing their work within the Global Alliance for Urban Crises and represent the voice of local and regional authorities in the Alliance's Steering Committee. This platform will provide practical support to deal with risks and humanitarian crises by encouraging local elected officials, experts, development agencies and humanitarian personnel to work together. The Global Alliance has received substantial support from the European Commission and, specifically, from the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), which regards the Alliance as an innovative instrument for reducing and containing the impacts of humanitarian crises for the benefit of local and regional governments and their communities. 

The members of the Alliance gathered together in Brussels on 30 and 31 March for their first annual meeting to shape a 3-5 year strategy and collectively identify priority activity areas in order to form working groups.

UCLG and UN-Habitat, which, together with other partners, are central to the alliance, offered to accommodate the Secretariat of the Alliance, which will be established in Barcelona in the coming weeks.

[Read: UCLG will take part in a new global alliance for urban crisis]

Resilience at local level

The main event of interest for local and regional authorities, which will be held to coincide with the Fifth Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, is the session of 23 May. It will be dedicated entirely to local and regional governments, and UCLG, together with ICLEI and UN-Habitat, will organise a session on "The Commitment of local authorities to contributing to the achievement of the 2020 Sendai Framework"

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