SE10: Urban Risk Reduction

  • ID: SE10
  • Date & Time: Wednesday 17 June (08:00 - 09:30)
  • Room: 5
  • Participation: Open
  • Organizer: Asian Regional Task Force on Urban Risk Reduction
  • Facilitators: Chair: Prof. Rajib Shaw (Kyoto University), the Chair of the RTF-URR
    Moderator/Coordinator: Ms. Yuki Matsuoka, UNISDR, the Coordinator of the RTF-URR
  • Focal Point: matsuoka (at) un.org

Description

The Hyogo Framework for Action specifies that disaster risk is compounded by increasing vulnerabilities related to various elements including unplanned urbanization. As one of the five priorities for action of the Hyogo Framework for Action, key activities are specified to reduce the underlying risk factors (Priority 4) and urban risk reduction is the crucial area of work to implement the Hyogo Framework for Action.

Urban hazards vary considerably compared to their rural counterparts. They are not only represented by one-off events like earthquake or cyclones but also get exaggerated due to hindrances in accessing basic services or public health services. The pace of urbanization in the developing world is led by Asia. The urban risk issue in Asia is being addressed by various institutions at various levels through regional programmes by regional entities, through national programmes by country governments, and through city-level and local level activities by community level entities. The Asia Region is uniquely positioned to have a synergy of activities of UN, bilateral donors, governments, and specific activities by civil society organizations and academic institutions. Climate change is also becoming a threat to the urban environment. The uncertainty arises due to the changing climate, needs to be considered in the overall urban risk management framework.

Recognizing that there is a growing need to address the subject area of urban risk reduction with concerted and coordinated efforts among stakeholders, in particular in the Asia region which is developing the pace of urbanization dramatically, the UNISDR Hyogo Office together with close partners took an initiative to develop the "Asia Regional Task Force on Urban Risk Reduction (RTF-URR)" as a thematic group of the ISDR system in Asia to facilitate and accelerate efforts and actions for urban risk reduction. RTF-URR was established in a meeting in Kobe, Japan in January 2008. The RTF-URR, coordinated by UNISDR Hyogo Office, is currently represented by 16 member organizations and is expected for further expansion.

The Asia Regional Task Force on Urban Risk Reduction (RTF-URR) aims at developing links to the community of urban planners, architects and engineers who are engaged in shaping the future of urban growth to ensure that disaster risk reduction is incorporated in urban development planning as well as future urban development trends are incorporated in disaster risk reduction strategies. The goal of the RTF is to enhance decisive actions to reduce risk and increase community resilience in the urban areas in the Asia region, with specific objectives such as acting as an advocacy vehicle to major urban policy bodies, providing a platform for collective information and knowledge development and sharing, and facilitating interactions and cooperation among related organizations and stakeholders. To facilitate concerted efforts among stakeholders to enhance prompt actions towards risk reduction and to increase community resilience in the urban areas in the Asian region, the RTF-URR has been carrying out several concrete collaborative initiatives including: (i) developing the HFA guideline for local governments "Localizing the HFA", (ii) "RADIUS plus 10" as the follow up project of the original RADIUS project, and iii) production of urban risk reduction thematic status report.

This special event on urban risk reduction will be organized by RTF-URR together with various partner organizations to review the current status and update on-going initiatives on urban risk reduction in Asia, and also to discuss on how to contribute to the ISDR Global Campaign on Urban Risk Reduction.


Expected Outcomes

This side event will:

- Review the current status and update on-going initiatives on urban risk reduction in Asia, including the production of the guideline for localizing HFA.

- Identify the main challenges, needs and opportunities in the area of urban risk reduction

- Discuss and receive feedbacks from wider community on on-going initiatives under the RTF-URR

- Share expectation and discuss on how to contribute to the ISDR Global Campaign on Urban Risk Reduction

- Come up with suggestions and ideas on initiatives (flagship projects) as concerted efforts to promote urban risk reduction agenda in the context of the ISDR Global Campaign on URR.

This event will support all the following four objectives of the GP09

- Assess progress made in the implementation of the HFA
- Enhance awareness of disaster risk reduction
- Share experience and learn from good practice
- Identify remaining gaps as well as actions to accelerate national and local implementation of the HFA

And also this event will promote the link to climate change adaptation in relation to disaster risk reduction and HFA implementation. In particular, the initiative called 'City Profile: Climate and Disaster Resilience' based on the methodology called CDRI (Climate Disaster Resilience Index) is going to be presented in the event for that purpose.


Background Papers

> ISDR Asia Regional Task Force on Urban Risk Reduction (RTF-URR) [DOC, 111.50 Kb]

> Guideline for Localizing HFA [PDF, 1.32 Mb]

> Questionnair for comments and suggestions on Consultation Version of the Guideline for Localizing HFA [DOC, 52.50 Kb]


Presentations

> Presentation on RTF-URR Overview and on-going initiatives [PDF, 710.27 Kb]

> DRR Certificate Programme [PDF, 3.15 Mb]

> URR Status Report and Inventory of Initiatives [PDF, 1.18 Mb]

> ADPC Activities Contributing to URR [PDF, 956.74 Kb]

> Presentation on DRH [PDF, 739.95 Kb]

> Presentation on RADIUS plus 10 under RTF URR [PDF, 354.08 Kb]

> Climate change and disater resilient city: the case of Makati [PPT, 28.7 Mb]


Outcomes

Note: this is an interim report pending publication of the Conference Proceedings from the 2009 Global Platform.

> Report from SE10 [PDF, 31.19 Kb]

Related Links

> Compilation of National Progress Reports on the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action: HFA Priority 4, core indicator 4.3

> https://www.preventionweb.net/english/hyogo/progress/documents/hfa-report-priority4-4.pdf

> Compilation of National Progress Reports on the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action: HFA Priority 1, core indicator 1.3

> Compilation of National Progress Reports on the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action: HFA Priority 4, core indicator 4.2

> Compilation of National Progress Reports on the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action: HFA Priority 3, core indicator 3.4


Last updated: 04 December 2020