Transcript Living with Risk: The need to build partnerships

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Urban Risk Reduction
An Inherent Element of Sustainable Development in Arab Cities
www.unisdr.org
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Amman, 27. – 29. April 2009
Guro Sørnes Kjerschow
UN/ISDR secretariat West Asia and North Africa
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Outline
1.What is UN International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction (UN/ISDR)?
2.What is Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)?
3.Disaster Risk Reduction & Sustainable Urban
Development
4. Urban Risk Factors of Arab Towns
5. Recommendations
6.Urban Risk Reduction activities of UNISDR WANA
7.Upcoming UNISDR Events
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1. What is United Nations International Strategy
for Disaster Reduction?
UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
(UN/ISDR) is a secretariat in the UN System. It is
responsible to promote incorporation and coordination
of disaster reduction activities in the field of sustainable
development. The partner organizations and institutions
of UN/ISDR are the members of the ISDR system,
containing other UN organizations, NGOs and
governments.
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1. What is United Nations International Strategy
for Disaster Reduction?
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UNISDR was established in 2000 following the International
Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR 1990 – 1999)
In 2004 and 2005 UNISDR led the negotiations between all UN
member states in the development of the document Hyogo
Framework for Action (HFA) 2005 – 2015: Building the
Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters. The HFA
is the guiding document for implementation of Disaster Risk
Reduction and defining the roles and responsibilities of different
stakeholders.
UNISDR opened a regional office in Cairo in 2007
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1. What is United Nations International Strategy
for Disaster Reduction?
UNISDR works along four tracks
1. Governance: Ensure that disaster risk reduction (DRR) is a
national and local priority with a strong institutional basis for
implementation.
2. Early warning systems: Identify, assess and monitor disaster
risks and enhance early warning.
3. Communication and advocacy: Use knowledge, innovation and
education to raise awareness of Disaster Risk Reduction at all
levels.
4. Prevention, Preparedness, Response: Reduce the underlying
risk factors and strengthen disaster preparedness for effective
response at all levels.
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2. What is Disaster Risk Reduction?
• Disaster Risk Reduction is a method or tool to
reduce the impacts of natural and human-made
hazards. Such as tsunamis, earth-quakes,
landslides, and climate change related events such
as droughts, storms and sea level rise.
• Disaster Risk Reduction is a strategic approach with
technical components. Such as land-use planning,
infrastructure planning, education, preparedness
and response.
• Disaster Risk Reduction can not prevent hazards
from taking place, but we can reduce the impacts of
hazards.
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2. What is Disaster Risk Reduction?
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• Risk is a real or potential threat of a disaster that can lead to major
loss of life, livelihoods and infrastructure.
• Disaster is the impact of a hazard.
The causes of disasters are we, the human beings; the way we
build societies, how we live in vulnerable environments and how
we put pressure on the environment.
Assistant Secretary General of UNISDR Margareta Wahlstrom
• Vulnerability relates to the ability of individuals, social groups and
societies to plan for, adapt to and address risk factors, and recover
after a disaster has occurred. Example Kobe vs Bam
Disaster Risk Reduction in urban areas is Urban Risk Reduction
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Earthquake in Kobe (Japan), 17 January 1995
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Magnitude: 6.8 on Richter's scale
Lost lives: ca 6,500 (0.43% of total population)
Population prior to earthquake: 1.5 mill
Strong engineering standards reduced losses
However, if the planning for social systems to
identify vulnerable groups and help in response,
relief and reconstruction the losses could have been
even less.
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Image from downtown Kobe after
earthquake 1995
Photo: Wikipedia
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Earthquake in Bam (Iran), 26. December 2003
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Magnitude: 6.5 on Richter's scale
Lost lives: 26,271 (61% of total population)
Total population prior to earthquake: 43,000
UN and IFRC appealed $ 75 million in relief assistance.
85 – 90 % of buildings and infrastructure in the Bam area were
either damaged or destroyed.
• Bam experienced rapid urban growth the years prior to the
2003 earthquake, most of the newly built houses and the old
mud brick buildings did not comply with earthquake regulations
set in Iran in 1989.
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Before
The 2000 year old Citadel in Bam (Iran), the worlds largest mud
fortress before the earthquake in 2003.
Photo: Wikipedia
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After
Bam after earthquake December 26, 2003
Photo: Marty Bahamonde/FEMA
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3. Disaster Risk Reduction and
Sustainable Urban Development
• Disasters do not only cause loss of lives, but result in
major economic setbacks: livelihoods have to start
from beginning, houses and infrastructure have to be
rebuilt. Many years of investment can disappear in a
moment. Sustainable development incorporates risk of
disasters in the planning and implementing process.
• Land-use planning and safe building construction are
key elements of urban planning and also the main tools
for integrating DRR in urban planning
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3. Disaster Risk Reduction and
Sustainable Urban Development
• Appropriate and sound urban planning and
standards, with disaster risk reduction measures
incorporated, are central in averting or mitigating the
impact of natural hazards and climate changes, and
are key to sustainable growth of cities.
• It is especially important to emphasize disaster risk
reduction in cities because of the large amount of
people living there and the degree of seriousness of
disasters when they strike, especially if not planned
for.
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4. Urban Risk Factors of Arab Towns
• Rapid urban growth due to population growth, ruralurban migration and settlement of displaced persons;
refugees of war and climate change.
• Rapid growth of unplanned urban areas, slums and
shantytowns.
• Huge areas of old building mass with historical value
that are not restored or properly secured for hazards.
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4. Urban Risk Factors of Arab Towns
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• Natural hazards: earthquakes and landslides,
mudslides and rockslides.
• Climate change increases the intensity of floods,
storms, droughts and heath waves.
• Increase stress on water availability, intensified by
climate change.
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4. Urban Risk Factors of Arab Towns
• Climate change will result in sea level rise. It is very
important that urban planners take sea level rise into
consideration when planning for future construction, but
also to safeguarding existing settlements, buildings and
infrastructures.
• World Bank, in cooperation with amongst others The
Arab Academy in Egypt, has initiated a project on
climate change adaptation in the coastal cities of
Alexandria, Tunis and Casablanca. Long-term urban
planning is a central part of the Adaptation Action Plan
that the World Bank will prepare.
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“Without human intervention to prevent
catastrophe, a 50 cm increase is
predicted to displace over two million
people, destroy 214,000 jobs and cost
over US$ 35 billion in the costal area
between Alexandria and Port Said”
State of African Cities 2008
UNHABITAT report
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5. Recommendations
• Urban risk reduction has to be incorporated in urban
development plans as a legal framework for private
investors and public urban developers.
• To achieve this:
- Urban risk reduction needs to become a political
priority
- Urban risk reduction needs to draw on scientific
knowledge and capacity
- Urban risk reduction needs to be supported by public
awareness
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6.UNISDR WANA contribution to
Urban Risk Reduction
• Establish a working group of regional urban development
stakeholders:
- To exchange experience and knowledge in the region, but also
to meet with representatives from other regions
- Raise awareness of local governments and encourage active
role of local governments in implementing DRR activities
- Contribute to a report on best practices in the region
- This regional working group will link up to a global network, the
Local Government Alliance, already established by UNISDR
• Produce a status report on Urban Risk Reduction in the Arab
region
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7. Upcoming UNISDR Events
• Launch of Global Assessment Report, 17-18 May in
Bahrain
• The second regional conference on DRR and
implementation of HFA, 19-21 May in Jeddah
• Global Platform, the second global conference on
DRR and implementation of HFA, 16-19 June in
Geneva
• International Conference, Building Local Resilience
to Disasters: Challenges and Opportunities, 24-26
August in Incheon, South Korea
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Thank you
United Nations, secretariat of the
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
www.unisdr.org
Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime
Transport
Higher Education Complex Bldg.
Block 1167 Off Mosheer Ahmed Ismaeel Street, 3rd floor
P.O. Box 20231
Masaken Sheraton
Cairo , Arab Republic of Egypt
www.unisdr-wana.org
[email protected]
Tel: +(2 02) 22665602/3/4
Fax: +(20 2) 22665642
More information contact: Guro Sornes Kjerschow
[email protected]