Urban resilience to take center stage in Accra

UNDP in partnership with the National Disaster Management Organisation NADMO is hosting a two-day high-level multi-stakeholder meeting on promoting resilient activities and increasing local level understanding of disaster risk in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA), from 14th-15th July, 2016 at the Fiesta Royale Hotel, Accra.

With the theme, “making cities inclusive and resilient in Ghana: the case of GAMA”, this advocacy initiative seeks to raise awareness of the social and economic impacts of common disasters particularly on vulnerable groups and locations in GAMA. The event will also advocate for the need to incorporate not only a disaster risk reduction and resilience focus in planning, but also to ensure linkages with social and environmental sustainability.

This initiative is inspired by the global campaign launched by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) to support sustainable urban development.  The upcoming workshop will create an opportunity for stakeholders to decide on how best to coordinate among themselves on urban resilience and also motivate the public towards appropriate behavioral change which will in turn reduce the risk of urban disasters.

Expected to participate in the high-level meeting will be representatives of the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation; Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing; Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development; National Development Planning Commission; Environmental Protection Agency; National Disaster Management Organisation, Ghana National Fire Service; Town and Country Planning; Accra Metropolitan Assembly; Ghana Police Service; the Military and UN agencies in Ghana.

It is anticipated that the meeting will help stakeholders to reflect on their roles in disaster risk reduction in their capacity as local authorities, academia, donors, private sector representatives as well as civil society organizations. The outcome of the meeting is expected to lead, in the long run, to greater commitment by local and national authorities to urban resilience building.