M. Mizanur Rahman addresses in the Financial Express the reduction of urban risks through community-based approach. Based on success stories, he describes the work of some community volunteer groups, which Islamic Relief Worldwide helps in linking with already existing local clubs, recognising their own risks and resources and developing a risk reduction action plan to be implemented by their own initiatives.
The process starts with Urban Risk Assessment (URA) involving the community members from different levels, which leads to the development of school and hospital safety plans at the institutional level, then moves towards raising awareness in the community through advocacy campaigns and resource mobilisation to ensure the application of existing building codes and the ownership and responsibilities of the community stakeholders in different disaster risk reduction initiatives. This approach is contributing to the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR)'s campaign 'Making Cities Resilient' addressing local governance and urban risk.