Eight weeks prior to the United Arab Emirates taking the global stage as the host of COP28, more than 150 VIP delegates, 500 attendees, and 35 speakers from around the world will descend on Dubai for the Global Resilience Forum from October 5-6.
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.
His Excellency Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander in Chief of Dubai Police, said the Forum will highlight the need for a ‘resilience policy’ to respond to the transformation of security landscapes by disaster risks. “Resilience policing is required to support the management of these complex climate change risks and hazards,” he said.
“Nations need to establish policing capabilities to enhance disaster resilience working with emergency responders, emergency management networks, and residents. Securing local scenarios is also vital for disaster recovery and must not be overlooked. It’s now time to ensure security is an inherent element of disaster recovery, and we hope the Global Resilience Forum’s discussions will pave the way for more focused attention on the issue.”
In her address, Mami Mizutori, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and head of UNDRR, stated, “This forum will seek to work with and through the UNDRR-led Making Cities Resilient 2030 global partnership – also known as MCR2030 – to strengthen individual and collective commitments to support more local governments to reduce their climate risk.”
“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.
Resilience is more than just a characteristic; it requires forethought, understanding, preparation, and a global coming together of experts to define risks and detail methods of prevention and successful recovery.”
The Forum will explore key themes, including risk governance and a whole-of-society approach to reducing risk, as well as cooperation with the private sector, technology providers, and innovators to develop risk-reduction solutions. It will also dive deep into investment in innovative urban solutions, coherent disaster recovery, and climate action in urban local contexts, as well as the utilisation of data and information on risk to enhance cities’ resilience. Displacement and the pressure on displaced and host communities, resilient urban systems, and access to basic urban infrastructure in vulnerable cities and communities will also be under the spotlight.
“It is appropriate that we are grasping this opportunity here in Dubai, which was the first city in the world to be recognised as an MCR2030 Resilience Hub initiative for its leadership on disaster risk reduction,” Mizutori added.
H.E. Razan Al Mubarak, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion, is attending the Forum as a guest of honour, and some of the confirmed keynote speakers include H.E Major General Khaled Fouda, Governor of South Sinai; H.E. Dr. Mehmet Duman, Secretary General of the UCLG MEWA; Ms. Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of Secretary-General – SRSG, UNDRR; Dr. Patricia Mccarney, President and CEO, the World Data City Council, Dr. Nehal Hefny, Deputy Regional Director, IFRC MENA; Mr. Gino Van Begin, Secretary General, ICLE.