Global Resilience Forum Starts Today in Dubai

A few weeks prior to the UAE taking the global stage as the host of COP28, more than 150 senior official delegates, 500 attendees, and 35 speakers from around the world will attend the Global Resilience Forum in Dubai on 5 and 6 October. 

Organised jointly by Dubai Police, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the Dubai Resilience Centre, and MCR2030, the inaugural Forum, which will run at the Hilton Al Habtoor City, will explore the role of local governments in enhancing cities' resilience.

The key topics and themes of discussion today and tomorrow are as follows

• Risk governance and whole-of-society approach with the aim of reducing risk,
• Cooperation with the private sector, technology providers, and innovators to develop risk-reduction solutions,
• Investment in innovative urban solutions like land use research and low-cost technology,
• Utilization of data and information on risk in enhancing cities’ resilience,
• Investment in coherent DRR and climate action in urban local contexts,
• Displacement and its pressure on the displaced communities and host communities and their linkages to climate change,
• Resilient urban systems and access to basic urban infrastructure in vulnerable cities and communities.

In her address, Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and head of UNDRR, stated, "In light of recent natural disasters in Türkiye, Morocco, and Libya, this issue is crucial for this region, and the world must come together to ensure we address, prevent, and react swiftly, efficiently, and collaboratively in confronting the challenges presented by climate change. The urgency cannot be underestimated when seen against a 2022 scenario, which saw 421 natural hazards and disasters, costing 30,704 lost lives, 185 million impacted individuals, and the equivalent of an economic loss bill of US$223.8 billion.”