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Lebanon + 3 more

MENA Workshop on Urban Disaster Risk Reduction and Management: Building Urban Resilience

Attachments

Beirut, Lebanon

December 16-18, 2013

Executive summary

On December 16-18th the MENA Urban Disaster Risk Reduction & Management workshop was held in Beirut as the last of a regional series of workshop/consultations in 2013. The workshop was supported by the IFRC Urban DRR/DM programme and the IFRC MENA office to:

1. To achieve better and deeper understanding of the urban contexts including challenges, opportunities and priorities in MENA for Red Cross and Red Crescent DRR/DM interventions and programmes

2. To make recommendations on the appropriate approach and methodology through which the MENA NSs can engage effectively in urban DRR/DM

3. To make recommendations on the cooperation among high risk cities of MENA on urban DRR/DM The MENA regional workshop on Urban DRR/DM brought National Societies from highly disaster prone megacities of MENA region as well as other stakeholders, to discuss the current status of urban vulnerabilities and Red Cross Red Crescent (RCRC) priorities for urban DRR/DM in MENA region. The workshop targeted the megacities of the MENA region, Tehran, Beirut, Cairo, Marrakech and their respective National Societies.

In all, there were seven National Societies represented during the workshop: Lebanese RC, Egyptian RC, Moroccan RC, Austrian RC, Iranian RC, British RC and American RC; with additional participants from IFRC Geneva and MENA offices, the Global Disaster Preparedness Center (GDPC), UNISDR and the American University of Beirut.

Over the course of the workshop National Societies and regional actors highlighted ongoing activities and programmes addressing urban risks along with identifying existing trends and challenges.
Presentations and working group discussions addressed several key questions and concepts identified in previous regional urban DRR/DM workshop/consultations.

Key conclusions:

  • Participants at the Beirut workshop stressed that the growing urban disaster risks in MENA region is a serious source of concern which should be considered as a priority at national and regional levels;

  • Participants at the Beirut Workshop endorsed the ongoing initiative and efforts of IFRC and NSs to enhance urban DRR and DM in MENA region and committed to support and cooperate with these efforts as much as they can;

  • Collaborative efforts and multi-stakeholder cooperation at local, national and regional levels are essential for effective urban disaster risk reduction and management in MENA region;

  • The existing DRR & DM approaches, methodologies and tools should be upgraded and enhanced and adjusted to urban contexts;

  • The linkage between urban DRR & DM and other sectors and issues such as climate change, urban development, health, education, legal systems, technology, etc. should be better understood and included in the relevant programmes.

  • IFRC Urban DRR and DM in MENA should include also the conflicts and violence.

The following specific commitments were made by the MENA NSs at the workshop:
Egyptian Red Crescent: To share the details of the experience of ERC on Nahda resilient city initiative and other relevant activities, and to consider urban DRR and DM a priority in the NS planning.

Iranian Red Crescent: To share the process and outcomes of the planned pilot city study on urban DRR and DM in Tehran through the IFRC and to consider the urban DRR and DM a priority for NS.
Moroccan Red Crescent: To prepare a Contingency plan for one of the highly disaster prone cities in Morocco and share the process and outcomes with the IFRC and NSs.

Lebanese Red Cross: To share the experience and outcomes of the LRC ongoing programme on urban DRR with the IFRC and NSs.