2nd Consultative meeting of the local government alliance for disaster risk reduction

Based on the outcomes of the first Consultative Meeting, this meeting aimed to reach a higher level of commitment from local and regional authorities in developing the LGA/DRR. The meeting was hosted by the “Global Dialogue on Wenchuan Earthquake Response”, organised by the Beijing Normal University and the University of Hong Kong to review good practices and lessons learned six months after the Sichuan Earthquake. It was organised by UNISDR in collaboration with the UNDP Special Unit for South South Cooperation and the International Training Center of the ILO, and attended by a small number of local government officials from Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Overall, the meeting achieved the following objectives: (i) It provided an opportunity for local and regional authorities to learn from the Sichuan Earthquake response and recovery experience through participation in the “Global Dialogue”, (ii) It reviewed major decisions made in Barcelona, assessed progress made up to Chengdu, and agreed on the way forward. In particular, the meeting reviewed and agreed upon the draft ToRs of the LGA/DRR, and established an "Advisory Group" that will guide the development of the Alliance in the coming months.

Finally, a specific session on "DRR Training for Local Sustainable Development” was facilitated by ILO on 14th November 2008. Although formally a separate session, this meeting was seen as an integral part of the LGA/DRR event and discussions. The ILO session was aimed to review the potential content, structure and target audience of an English training course on DRR that will be delivered to local government officials as of 2009.