World's cities presents five-point action plan for sustainable development and DRR: Chengu Declaration for Action
Over 200 participants, including 38 parliamentarians, mayors, vice-mayors, and local government officials from 33 countries around the world have adopted the Chengu Declaration of Action, a five-point strategy to tackle pressing issues that cities are facing, such as natural resource and environmental management, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.
Building on the 2011 World Cities Scientific Development Forum (WCSDF) which was held in Chengdu, Sichuan Province in China last 11-13 August, the declaration was adopted on 12 August during the first Mayor's Summit on Disaster Risk Reduction, which was part of the Forum. This follows on the heels of the Mayor's Statement on Resilient Cities which was presented during the Global Platform for DRR held in Geneva last May.
The five-point strategy presented under the Chengdu Declaration includes cooperation between cities, incorporating disaster resilient initiatives into urban development planning, and raising more awareness in cities about disaster risk reduction. The other points of the Declaration look at tapping into and influencing international debates, such as the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20) next year, as well as improving disaster preparedness and emergency management of cities.
The World Disaster Reduction Campaign “Making Cities Resilient – My City is Getting Ready!”, coordinated by UNISDR, was an underlying theme for both the WCSDF and the Mayor’s Summit on Disaster Risk Reduction. Recognizing the importance of this campaign, the World Cities Scientific Development Alliance (WCSDA) and UNISDR signed a five-year agreement to promote urban sustainable development and provide a space to discuss how to build disaster-resilient, liveable and sustainable cities.
During the Mayors’ Summit Mr. Keith Hinds, Mayor of Portmore, Jamaica, was nominated as a “Making Cities Resilient” campaign Champion and twelve cities signed up to the campaign. This included five cities from China (Sanya City , Hainan Province, Mianyang City, Sichuan Province, Xining City, Qinghai Province, Luoyang City, Henan Province, Xianyang City, Shan’Xi Province), and one city from each of the following countries: USA (Normandy, Minnesota), Uganda (Mbarara), Nigeria (Abuja), South Africa (Saldanha Bay), Philippines (San Fernando, Pampanga Province), Costa Rica (Siquirres), and Vanuatu (Luganville).
