UCLG ASPAC Secretary General has recently attended the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (3WCDRR) in Sendai in March 2015, held from 14 to 18 March 2015.
Banda Aceh Mayor, Ms. Illiza Sa’aduddin Djamal on behalf of cities and local governments all over the world addressed to member states and thousands of other participants. She stated that “local authorities are increasingly taking the initiative to enhance their preparedness and capacities to be able to prevent losses and provide an effective and immediate response.”
Mayor Djamal represented the ‘united voice’ of the Local and Regional Authorities Major Group at the UN sponsored conference, the global networks United Cities and Local Government (UCLG) and Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI).
The Banda Aceh Mayor affirmed that cities are the first level of governance dealing with disaster risk reduction. National governments must develop strategies together with local authorities in order to build their capacities. This can only be done if there are improved local-national dialogues and decentralization processes are undertaken to give the necessary powers and resources to local authorities.
UCLG, as the World Organization for Local Governments, has made resilience a priority of its political and policy agenda since 2008. Over 1,000 cities have joined the ‘Making Cities Resilient Campaign’ to raise awareness and take concrete actions on disaster risk reduction. Since 2010, cities are meeting annually to monitor their progress and have already been adopting charters that aim to synergize mitigation, adaptation, disaster risk reduction and sustainable development strategies. (MH)
