As one of the stakeholders of Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) Initiative, UCLG-MEWA took part in the Global Resilience Forum, which was co-organized by United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and Dubai Police Organization on October 5-6 in Dubai. UCLG-MEWA Secretary General Dr. Mehmet Duman, Atty. Turan Hançerli as Mayor of Avcılar and Abdul Karim Zubaidi as Mayor of Salfeet and President of Palestinian Local Authorities (APLA) were among the speakers of the event.
As part of MCR2030 initiative, the cities competent in resilience and standing as an example for their counterparts with their best practices, are characterized as “Resilience Hub.” Being the first city with a commitment to function as a global Resilience Hub, Dubai presented its three-year work plan. In addition to its hosting Global Resilience Forum as part of COP28, the work plan also covers the preparation activities of the event that will be held between November 30 – December 12.
The Forum focused on the themes such as “The Role of Local Governments in Enhancing Urban Resilience” and “Convening Resilience Hubs and Cities,” and targeted to make an emphasis on city-to-city learning and collaboration as highlighted in Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Trabzon Resilience Declaration is our road map
Speaking at the session “High-Level Panel: Path to Urban Resilience,” UCLG-MEWA Secretary General Dr. Mehmet Duman underlined the importance of capacity development in fighting climate change, and touched on UCLG-MEWA’s experience on urban resilience. Stating, “Trabzon Resilience Declaration serves as our regional road map on the way to building resilient cities. It highlights a multidimensional approach with a focus on disaster management, social resilience and environmental sustainability,” Duman made a stress on the crucial role the declaration plays in raising awareness on the difficulties faced in the region.
In addition, Atty. Turan Hançerli who took part in the session “Displacement and Climate Resilience” as part of UCLG-MEWA Delegation, spoke on the transformative power of local governments and gave examples from Avcılar Municipality’s best practices on climate and environment (eg. Ecological Training Park.) Speaking at the session “Vulnerable Cities Access to Water, Food and Energy” Abdul Karim Zubaidi said, “Localizing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) via local governments is of crucial importance in terms of accelerating urban resilience as they have remarkable views on the vulnerabilities of a society” and made reference to the connection between the localization of SDGs and urban resilience.
Reem Abusamra, UCLG-MEWA Senior Research Officer, moderated the session “Innovative Risk Reduction Urban Solutions.” Hosting participants with various professions, and from various countries in MEWA region, the session offered a platform for participants to share their vision on risk reduction.
Within the scope of the forum, UCLG-MEWA Delegation held bilateral meeting with Mami Mizutori, Head of UNDRR. UCLG-MEWA shared its resilience vision #ResilientMEWA and activities with Head of UNDRR, and a decision was taken to develop cooperation between the institutions.