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We are happy to announce the upcoming webinar consultation series on Urban Risk Management and Resilience, organized by the UNDP Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery Team.
The perspectives emerging from the deliberations will inform the finalization of the Urban Risk Management and Resilience Strategy Paper while also feeding into the UNDP/CB Visibility Month discussions as well as the discussions related to the UNDP Strategic Plan (2022-2025). Please find further information on the webinar #1 below and read more about the webinar consultation series on Spark Blue.
“Our struggle for global sustainability will be won or lost in cities.”
– Ban-ki-Moon, ex-UNSG
Webinar #1: Overview of Urban Risk Management and Resilience
2018 marked the year when Asia turned majority urban with just over half of the region’s population living in urban settlements. With cities witnessing a confluence of people, socio-economic activities, development assets and infrastructure as well as risks and crises of multiple hues, the need to prevent, reduce and manage risks is being increasingly recognized as sine qua non for resilience and sustainable development.
At the same time, it has also been recognized that addressing risks and crises in a linear manner does not offer optimal dividends. The close interface with development planning, budgeting and implementation calls for fostering better understanding, analysis and assessment of risks in a more integrated manner to facilitate access to actionable risk information to all actors and stakeholders.
Considering in an urban setting, it requires connecting risk management efforts more closely with resilience building. Resilience itself entails looking at various dimensions encompassing social, economic, political, environmental and other aspects. Contextualized within urban spaces, adopting a systems’ thinking and approach becomes imperative and entails looking at urban planning, development, services, capacities, resources, functionality among others in an integrated manner.
The analytical review of frameworks, programs, tools and methodologies employed to understand risk management and resilience is being undertaken by DRR and Recovery for Resilience Team (DRT) supported by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI). Based on literature review and one-on-one interactions with different UNDP thematic teams and key external stakeholders, a Synthesis Paper crystallizing key perspectives and priorities has been developed and shared.
The Webinar series seeks to widen the scope of discussion to elicit ideas related to existing (unmet) and emerging needs derived from our policy and programmatic work with national and city-level agencies/entities. This will help better understand what integrated risk management and resilience building means in urban contexts and how can more joined-up policy and programmatic efforts can be scaled-up and scaled-out for greater catalytic impact.
Given the fact that the center of action vis-à-vis reducing/managing typologies of risks as well as development imperatives is increasingly gravitating towards urban spaces across countries and development contexts, the Webinar Series seeks to further delve deeper into the risk management and resilience building imperatives from sustainable urban development prism and identify potential opportunities for fostering a comprehensive multi-pronged approach. As a first step in this direction, the Webinar will discuss and analyse issues related to risks and resilience and analyse what systems’ thinking means in urban context.
Experienced external stakeholders and UNDP colleagues working on these issues will share their thoughts and perspectives. It will also be an opportunity to reflect the observed needs and priorities identified through our own policy and programmatic work in the area.
As a heads-up, the follow-up Webinars in the Series will touch upon the following subjects:
|
Webinar Series |
Date and time |
Thematic Focus |
|
#2 |
Friday 19 Feb 2021 8.00-9.30am EST (tent.) |
Understanding risks and vulnerabilities in urban context |
|
#3 |
Friday 26 Feb 2021 8.00-9.30am EST (tent) |
Development solutions to manage risks and build resilience |
|
#4 |
Friday 05 Mar 2021 8.00-9.30am EST (tent) |
Urban governance and stakeholder engagement |
The perspectives emerging from the deliberations will inform the finalization of the Urban Risk Management and Resilience Strategy Paper while also feeding into the UNDP/CB Visibility Month discussions as well as the discussions related to the UNDP Strategic Plan (2022-2025).
For further information, please reach out to:
Ronald Jackson, Head, DRT –
Angelika Planitz, Global Lead, DRR –
Rajeev Issar, Policy Specialist, DRR and Urban Risk Management –