UNISDR: Call for contributions - 'International Day for Disaster Reduction 2010'

The United Nations National Strategy for Disaster reduction is coordinating the 2010-2011 World Disaster Reduction Campaign “Making Cities Resilient: My City is getting ready!”. The overall campaign goal is to achieve resilient, sustainable urban communities through actions taken by local governments to reduce disaster risk. The International Day for Disaster Reduction will highlight the successes and continue to work towards achieving safer and more resilient communities.

To mark the International Day for Disaster Reduction on 13 October, the UNISDR secretariat is calling on its partners to play a more active role to protect cities against disasters. As part of its “Making Cities Resilient: My City is getting ready!” campaign, UNISDR will encourage more mayors and local governments to join the 100 cities that have already signed up to the global campaign.

Many cities have been disrupted this year by disasters: earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and New Zealand; floods and heavy rainfalls in Pakistan, Eastern Europe, Mozambique and other parts of Africa; forest fires in Russia; and volcanic eruptions in Indonesia and Iceland. All have caused huge human suffering and economic damage. Cities have never been so at risk.

More action is needed to anticipate the negative impacts of such disasters; no city is immune.

Is your city GETTING ready? What are you doing to make cities more resilient and protect citizens?

We encourage all partners, National Platforms for Disaster Reduction and cities to use the International Day for Disaster Reduction to raise awareness on how to build resilience to disasters, to publicize the "ten essentials" and how YOUR community, town, city or province is advancing in getting ready.

Please submit your plans for the International Day for Disaster Reduction online at: http://www.preventionweb.net/english/submit/

- Organize radio programs, press briefing or public debates on how your community/municipality/city is getting ready: Read the UN Secretary-Generals message and add a message from your Mayor or other personalities on what is being done in your
community;
- Organize a disaster drill or exercise preparedness plans in your community/ school/ municipality/ city.
- Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies might want to launch the 2010 World Disaster Report on Urban Risk in their communities that day and discuss what can be done in partnership with others.
- Launch the call for nominations for good practice and candidates for the UN-Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction, which will feature achievements in making cities resilient. The Award will be delivered in May 2011 at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva.
- Showcase to the public ("open day" or round tables) any visible activity or project undertaken by participants in the campaign the (see www.unisdr.org/campaign - Section “How to get engaged in the campaign”)
- Promote the One Million Safe Schools and Hospitals Pledging Initiative and encourage pledges. (The initiative calls for pledging of specific schools and hospitals to be safe, signup for individuals or groups to become advocates or champions, collects good practice and provides guidance documentation prepared by partners and /or UNISDR) visit: www.safe-schools-hospitals.net.

As part of the International Day for Disaster Reduction, the UNISDR secretariat will be involved in a number of activities throughout the world:

Geneva
Acknowledge the role of all players (UN agencies, governments and civil society) who have contributed over the past 10 years to advance the disaster risk reduction agenda and call upon them to accelerate the efforts towards the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action.

Convey a special call to the private sector to consider their commitment through exploring “Ten Essentials” that will be presented at the next Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction in May 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Shanghai
Organize a panel discussion on building city resilience. The event will be held at the UN Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai Expo, and will bring together experts and mayors from the Sichuan Earthquake, including Bai Yan Song, a CCTV anchorman who covered the disaster.

A local children’s choir will sing the Kobe song “Bring Happiness to the World”.

New York
Bringing together the United Nations and the City of New York (to be confirmed).

Panama
Plan a Disaster Risk Reduction fair on 13 October for the general public and media, including a minimum of 300 students, school teachers and civic groups (the fair is being organized by UNISDR-Americas in conjunction with campaign partners IFRC, PAHO, WSPA, UNICEF, the Panama Ministry of Education, the Environment National Authority, the City of Panama and other government entities).

Promote an award ceremony of the National Riskland Olympics (organized by Panama’s Ministry of Education) as well as a regional drawing, photo and video contest for children (organized by UNICEF, IFRC, PLAN International and UNISDR).

For more details please refer to: http://eird.org/dia-internacional/index.html

Buenos Aires
The Iberoamerican movement of municipalities is organising a meeting on disaster risk reduction. During a special session municipalities will be able to sign-up to the campaign.

Syria
On the International Day for Disaster Reduction, Syria is planning to organise a national launch of the campaign in Aleppo. The campaign champion, the Syrian Minister of Local Administration and former Mayor of Aleppo, H.E. Tamer Al-Hajjeh, will officially launch the campaign and announce the campaign participating cities Homs and Aleppo, in a signing ceremony. The focus of the celebration will be on safe schools in collaboration with UNICEF. The venue for the launch is a school in Aleppo. The champion and the mayors will talk about urban risk reduction with school children, and hand out an education kit on disaster risk reduction. Following the briefing on disaster risk reduction, the champion will initiate the global campaign drawing competition in Homs and Aleppo.

Egypt
Announce three new campaign cities: Cairo, Alexandria and Sharm el Sheikh. A roundtable discussion with insurance companies and a signing ceremony will be held with the mayors.

Lebanon
The Prime Minister of Lebanon will be the host of the celebration of International Day for Disaster Reduction (already on 12 October 2010). On 13 October, a press conference with signing ceremony will be held in Beirut to announce their participation in the Making Cities Resilient campaign. A children’s theatre company is touring in schools to perform an educational play on disaster risk reduction. Children will also be invited to participate in a drawing competition.

Nairobi
UNISDR-Africa will announce the Making Cities Resilient campaign at a UN-Habitat media briefing on a slum upgrading project in Korogocho slums, Nairobi, Kenya. This is an opportunity for UNISDR to address disaster risk reduction as part of urban-migration, urban violence, unsafe housing and sanitation. Furthermore, National Platforms will be invited to ensure the link between local and national governments.

Pacific
Organize a programme with UN-Habitat and UNESCAP as part of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) 2010 Symposium whose theme is “Building Local Government Alliances” (Mayors and official from local governments in the Pacific will share case studies on building urban resilience through DRR and/or CCA initiatives. Announce the finalists of the Pacific Drawing Competition under the theme Making the Pacific Resilient - My Community is Getting Ready!; prize-giving ceremony will be held for winner. This may also coincide with a signing ceremony for the campaign, depending on attendance and if cities have signed up.

Astana
Organize a conference on school and hospital safety a week before International Day for Disaster Reduction Day; potential launch of a regional urban safety global campaign.