Leveraging South-South and Triangular cooperation: Inclusive and Technological Innovations for Urban Health and Disaster Risk Reduction

• When: 12 March 2025 – 26 March 2025
• Time: 8:00 New York | 13:00 Geneva | 19:00 Bangkok | 21:00 Incheon 
  Date: 12, 19, 26 March 2025 (Wednesdays)
  (Three 120-minute online sessions and one post-course survey)
• Format: Online
• Workshop Language: English with simultaneous interpretation in Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and International Sign Language
• ‘Organizer(s) United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction – Office in Incheon for Northeast Asia and Global Education and Training Institute for Disaster Risk ReductionPan American Health OrganizationUnited Nations Office for South-South Cooperation
• Click here to register

Background

Resilient and inclusive cities are key to achieving global commitments such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. These cities ensure no one is left behind by actively involving all community members, particularly marginalized groups like persons with disabilities, older persons, among others in resilience planning and decision-making. The Sendai Framework emphasizes that inclusive disaster risk reduction (DRR) is essential for effective risk management, while the 2030 Agenda highlights the importance of inclusivity in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 11, which aims to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. The Pact for the Future (2024) further underscores the need to empower all individuals, regardless of their background, to contribute meaningfully to the design and implementation of urban resilience strategies.

Technological solutions play a crucial role in disaster risk reduction and management by enhancing early warning systems, real-time monitoring, and rapid response capabilities. Countries and cities are increasingly adopting and sharing innovative solutions, such as satellite-based remote sensing, AI-powered predictive analytics, and IoT-enabled sensors, to detect hazards and improve disaster preparedness. Collaborative initiatives, including joint research, technology transfers, and capacity-building programs, enable developing countries to leverage cost-effective, context-specific innovations. Mobile applications, digital communication platforms, and drone technology—often co-developed through South-South and Triangular Cooperation—enhance response efforts, fostering resilience and data-driven decision-making across at-risk regions.

In addition to these principles, South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) offers valuable opportunities to foster knowledge sharing, capacity building, and technology exchange among countries in the Global South. The Buenos Aires outcome document of BAPA+40 (2019) underscores the role of local authorities, women, and youth in advancing South-South and Triangular Cooperation and promoting inclusive societies to achieve sustainable development. By leveraging South-South and Triangular Cooperation, cities can adopt innovative solutions to address disaster risks, including the use of technology for early warning systems, data analytics, and inclusive infrastructure design. This approach aligns with global efforts, such as WHO’s Healthy Cities initiative, which integrates public health into urban planning to enhance resilience, inclusivity, and well-being. Through South-South and Triangular Cooperation, the use of technology, and a focus on inclusivity, cities can strengthen their disaster risk reduction capacities and better prepare for challenges such as climate change, urbanization, and other emerging risks.

Since 2020, UNOSSC, UNDRR GETI, PAHO/WHO have jointly organized four certificate online training programmes. These programs focused on leveraging South-South and Triangular Cooperation, disaster risk reduction, and integrating health emergency response and preparedness into building resilient cities and societies, addressing various phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, including outbreak response, emergency management, and recovery. The training series has been highly successful, attracting over 9,800 live session participants and over 6,500 self-paced learners from 155 countries and territories.

Building on its success, the fifth joint training will be held in March 2025 by UNDRR, UNOSSC and PAHO/WHO, aiming to provide a foundation for engaging multi-level governments and diverse stakeholders, particularly the most at-risk groups—such as women, older persons, and person with disabilities—in disaster risk reduction, health emergency, and disaster risk management. The course will emphasize the importance of a whole-of-society approach, the use of technology, and the facilitation of South-South and Triangular Cooperation in creating inclusive, resilient and healthy cities, featuring practical tools and examples.

Course Objective:

This training serves as an introductory training for urban leaders, planners, and practitioners, aiming to:

• Increase awareness and understanding for managing complex urban disaster risks, health emergencies, and disaster risk management, leveraging technology, and facilitating South-South and Triangular Cooperation;
• Introduce useful concepts and tools to strengthen inclusion, especially the inclusion of persons with disabilities and older persons in urban disaster risk management;
• Better prepare city stakeholders and engage them in making cities resilient and inclusive for future crises, health and non-health emergencies and uncertainties;
• Facilitate learning through South-South and Triangular Cooperation and sharing of experience;
• Inspire and motivate whole-of-society to play a key and active role in securing resilient, inclusive and sustainable urban futures.

Expected outcome:

By the end of this training, participants shall be able to:

• Describe disaster risk reduction, health emergency and disaster risk management, South-South and Triangular Cooperation, use of technology, and the whole-of-society approach for creating inclusive, resilient and healthy cities;
• Apply concepts and tools such as the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities – Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities, the Disability Inclusion in Hospital Disaster Risk Management Tool (INGRID-H), and health facilities strategic risk assessment;
• Provide examples of good practices and relevant solutions by local government authorities and diverse stakeholders in inclusive and technology-driven disaster risk reduction, health emergency response preparedness, and South-South and Triangular Cooperation.

Targeted Audience

Local and national government officials in charge of disaster risk reduction and management, urban development and planning and public health emergency preparedness, national associations of municipalities, urban resilience and development practitioners, as well as civil society, private sector, and academia.

The course is open to all participants from both developed and developing countries. Participants from Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDs) are highly encouraged.

No. of Trainees:

Maximum 1,000 participants can attend the live training sessions, on a first come first served basis.

Facilitators:

Experts from UNDRR, UNOSSC, and PAHO with guest speakers representing various stakeholder groups, e.g., older persons, youth, women, persons with disabilities, local and national governments, and academic network.

Post-course Survey

To enable evidence-based course evaluation, a post-course survey will be disseminated to participants to collect feedback on the course content and organization, as well as understanding participants’ development needs for follow-up and to facilitate future programmatic designing.

Certificate:

Certificate of participation will be given only to participants who attend all three training sessions live and complete a post-course survey.