The city resilient to disasters – The resilient city: First Palestinian Urban Forum / المدينه القادرة على مجابهة الكوارث – المدينة الامنة (المنتدى الحضري الفلسطيني) جامعـة النجـاح الوطنيـة، فلسـطين
In English and Arabic:
During the First Palestinian Urban Forum, held at An-Najah National University on 27th- 28th of March 2012, Dr. Jalal Dabbeek - Director of the Urban Planning and Disaster Risk Reduction Center at An-Najah National University and the vice president of National Agency for Disaster Risk Mitigation, presented a special session on safe cities and disaster risk reduction in order to review the basic elements necessary to make cities resilient to disasters.
Discussions were held with representatives from a number of municipalities, local government bodies and institutions working in the field of DRR. Additionally, the participants discussed concepts from the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction UNISDR, Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015, as well as the key principles and concepts of the Arab Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction 2011-2020.
The session also included participation from Mr. Ahmed Riziq - Director General of Civil Defense, Engineer Abdel Hakeem Al-Jouhari, Engineer Mahmoud Abdullah and Engineer Shireen Al-Nather.
Recommendations:
To make cities resilient to disasters there is a need for establishing a Palestinian strategy for disaster risk reduction. This requires the following:
- Identify and assess all potential risks that might result from disasters and take this into consideration when carrying out land use policies and urban planning processes.
- Invite municipalities and local government bodies and encourage them to join the World Campaign on Safe Cities, “My City is Getting Ready”, through adopting the Ten Essentials point for making cities resilient; these elements can be applied gradually.
- Consider the concepts and priorities of Hyogo Framework for Action, the objectives of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, and the standards of the Arab Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction 2011-2020, when carrying out urban planning.
In addition to this, the participants emphasized the following:
- Activate the role of the High Council of Civil Defense.
- Adopt a special fund for disasters on the national level.
- Provide training programs on disasters reduction on all levels and sites (schools, universities and institutions).
- Organize, develop and control the building and planning laws in such a way as to carry out risk management plans.
- Control land use policy and create microzonation maps of potential risk sites, the impact of site effect and the production of risk maps for cities.
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ضمن برنامج المنتدى الحضري الفلسطيني الأول، والذي عقد في جامعة النجاح الوطنية خلال الفترة 27 – 28 اذار 2012، تم تخصيص جلسة خاصه للمدن الآمنه والحد من مخاطر الكوارث، وذلك يوم الأربعاء 28/03/2012 خلال الفترة 10:45- 12:15 ظهراً، وخلال هذه الجلسة عرض د. جلال الدبيك مدير مركز التخطيط الحضري والحد من مخاطر الكوارث في جامعة النجاح الوطنية، ونائب رئيس الهيئة الوطنية للتخفيف من أخطار الكوارث، العناصر الأساسية لجعل المدن قادرة على مجابهة الكوارث، وتم مناقشة هذه العناصر مع ممثلي عدد من البلديات وهيئات الحكم المحلي وعدد من المؤسسات التي تعمل في مجال الكوارث. واستعرض كذلك، مفاهيم الاستراتيجية الدولية للحد من الكوارث، واطار عمل هيوغو للعقد 2005 – 2015، والاستراتيجية العربية للحد من مخاطر الكوارث 2011 – 2020. وشارك في هذه الجلسة كمتحدثين رئيسيين كل من مدير عام الدفاع المدني اللواء احمد رزق، والمهندس عبد الحكيم الجوهري، والمهندس محمود عبد الله، والمهندسة شيرين الناظر