Making Cities Resilient 2030

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Changing the way cities think about their activities, confront challenges, and manage urban spaces is necessary to begin building resilience on a global scale. On October 28, R-Cities joined a host of partners to launch Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) by the United Nations Office of Disaster Risk Reductions. 

We are thrilled to be one of the MCR2030 core partners. Our participation in this effort will expand the reach and impact of our urban resilience work, developed over more than seven years by thousands of practitioners. Through our 97 member cities we touch the lives of hundreds of millions of urbanites, and through our support of MCR2030, we ultimately hope to empower thousands of cities to build safer places and nurture more equitable communities.

MCR2030 is a global partnership of experts in urban resilience, disaster risk reduction (DRR), climate change, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including core partners: R-Cities, C40 Cities, ICLEI, The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Japan International Cooperation Agency, the United Cities and Local Governments, United Nations Human Settlements Programme, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, United Nations Office for Project Services, The World Bank Group, and the World Council on City Data.

“Resilience is an action-oriented agenda.” Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN-Habitat

MCR2030 builds on 10 years of Making Cities Resilient (MCR) work that the UNDRR began in 2010. MCR intended “to raise awareness on urban risk reduction with city leaders and local governments to work along with local partners, grassroots networks, and national authorities, and as the conclusion of MCR drew near, Cities’, partners, and several urban stakeholders “requested that the efforts to support local governments in strengthening disaster and climate resilience must continue.”

MCR2030 – A Vision for a Resilient Future

We see a future in which most of the world’s population is concentrated in cities. This urbanization, combined with the increasing effects of climate change, makes clear the urgent need to accelerate urban resilience building. More cities need to start down the road to resilience, and collaborate as part of a global approach that includes practitioners from all sectors.

With an eye to helping cities work towards achieving the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the New Urban Agenda, the Paris Agreement, and the Sustainable Development Goals, by 2030, the main strategic objectives of the MCR2030 include:

1. Increase city understanding of risk and commitments to disaster risk reduction and resilience
2. Increase city capacities to plan for risk reduction and resilience
3. Increase city capacities to implement resilience actions and reduce risks

As the world’s leading urban resilience network, Resilient Cities Network represents an important source of resilience knowledge and learning that can benefit many cities. By engaging with the unprecedented coalition of partners and cities that comprises MCR2030, R-Cities will strengthen global dialogues and practice sharing. This will empower cities to build safer places and nurture more equitable communities.

Leading Global Resilient Building in MCR2030

As one of MCR2030’s Core Partners, R-Cities will participate in the Global Coordinating Committee and the Regional Committee, the initiative’s key governance bodies. In this capacity R-Cities will share our experience and insight into what it takes to support cities meaningfully, empowering them to plan their path to a more resilient future.

In addition, we will participate in key MCR2030 activities, focused on enhancing cities’ capacities to plan their resilience priorities and advance their most challenging projects. This will take the form of training workshops, briefing sessions, and sharing best practices with other members and partners.

“It is in the spirit of partnership that we are already actively working as part of both the Global Coordinating Committee and the Regional Committees,sharing strategic insights and lessons with cities around the world and engaging with other core partners,” said Braulio Eduardo Morera, R-Cities Director, Programs & Innovation.

He elaborated that, “we have already been sharing knowledge with MRC2030 members by inviting member cities to our Cities on the Front Line Speakers Series, co-organized with the World Bank, and by participating in training workshops and opening our on-line knowledge sharing platforms.”

Our core partnership with MCR 2030 is an exciting opportunity to grow and advance the practice of urban resilience, especially in small and medium-sized cities all over the world. Our hope is that cities joining MCR2030 will benefit from the experiences of our network, enabling R-Cities to fulfill a key objective of our organization, passing on what we’ve learned over seven years working with cities to build urban resilience, scaling up our impact and growing the number of people that benefit.