Jamaica's local governments commit to a resilient future
Jamaica has become the first country in the world to have all of its local governments committed to strengthening disaster resilience after all 14 municipal corporations joined the Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) initiative. This new initiative, led by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), is a co-creation of strategic partners that promotes local resilience through advocacy, exchange of knowledge and experiences, and the creation of learning networks between cities. Simultaneously, it promotes technical capacity building, connects multiple levels of government and fosters strategic alliances.
With the adherence of all municipal corporations to MCR2030, Jamaica shows its commitment to achieving a sustainable and resilient future. As a result of this accomplishment, the Caribbean island nation will advance in the diagnosis of resilience, promote risk assessment at the local level, and encourage monitoring and reporting actions at a national level. These actions constitute a learning opportunity on the challenges related to disaster reduction and resilience building, particularly in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). It also contributes to understanding how local governments can develop and strengthen national strategies for disaster risk reduction and resilience building.
The commitment also comes at a key moment for the region. Between November 1 and 4, the Government of Jamaica will host the VII Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas and the Caribbean, which under the theme Building Resilient Economies will be a unique opportunity to review, together with the participating countries of the Americas, the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and promote new actions and commitments towards strengthening disaster risk governance in the region.
MCR2030 initiative promotes greater outreach for sustainability, territorial security and the protection of collective assets and interests through assessment for disaster resilience at a local level and the formulation and/or updating of risk management plans at local level. This is a key approach in the Americas and the Caribbean region, where 81% of the population lives in cities and where it is expected that by 2050 more than 90% of the population will be urban.
As the first country where all local governments are part of the MCR2030 initiative, Jamaica sets an example of commitment in building inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities by 2030. This is another step forward for Jamaica towards achieving the goals of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030) in order to fulfill the 2030 agenda.