Around 70 local representatives and technical experts participated in the training, which was organized under the “South-South and Triangular Cooperation Pilot for Sustainable Disaster Risk Governance in Lebanon”
Under the framework of UNOSSC Cities Project’s pilot on South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Sustainable Disaster Risk Governance in Lebanon, a two-day capacity development and knowledge sharing event took place online from 13 to 14 September, to foster the exchange of experiences, technologies, and good practices in disaster risk reduction (DRR) between China and Lebanon, especially between the cities of Shenzhen and Tripoli, and support Tripoli local authorities to strengthen their disaster risk governance capacity and enhance preparedness and resilience against various disasters. The Pilot is jointly implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) China and Lebanon country offices.
The National Disaster Reduction Center of China (NDRCC) co-hosted the event with UN partners. Approximately 70 representatives and experts from Lebanon and China gathered online to exchange practices and technologies on crucial topics such as “Early Warning to Early Action” and “Disaster Risk Governance from a Technological Perspective.”
According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), over the past five decades, weather- or climate-related disasters have occurred at least once every day, resulting in an average daily death toll of 115 and economic losses of 202 million US dollars. The disaster loss data speak for itself.
In this context, the importance of risk-informed disaster risk governance and early warning systems cannot be overstated. Following the mindset and policy shift towards DRR, new and technologies are emerging to provide data, evidence, methodologies, tools and solutions to better support decision-making and capacity building of the governments in disaster-prone countries.
During the event, Mayor Eng. Ahmad Amer Eddine of Tripoli Municipality Government stressed the importance of local disaster risk management and highlighted his strong interest in exchanging knowledge, experiences and lessons learned with his counterparts in China. He emphasized that such cooperation would improve the city’s emergency preparedness and recovery capabilities.
GAO Yucheng, Deputy Director-General of NDRCC, emphasized that with the growing frequency of extreme weather events in recent years, early warning systems for disasters have played a critical role to address such challenges.
YANG Jinshan, Deputy Head of Emergency Management Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality, introduced the city’s ongoing efforts in disaster prevention and reduction. He affirmed Shenzhen’s commitment to actively participate in SSTC frameworks to strengthen the collaboration with Tripoli in DRR.
Local authorities and practitioners are at the forefront of responding to all types of disasters. Their significant exposure to natural hazards presents them with opportunities to initiate changes aimed at reducing the risk of natural disasters at local levels.
The event further looked to continue deepening city-to-city cooperation between Tripoli and Shenzhen for better managing disaster risks and their impacts.
Launched in November 2022, the “SSTC for Sustainable Disaster Risk Governance in Lebanon” pilot is implemented by UNDP with support from UNOSSC Cities Project. Through multi-stakeholders’ engagement at both national and local levels, this pilot has connected local authorities from Tripoli and Shenzhen, as well as technical expertise from NDRCC and National Council for Scientific Research of Lebanon (CNRS).
About the South-South Cities Clusters
The UNOSSC’s Cities Project seeks to promote South-South and triangular cooperation at the city and local levels. The South-South Cities Clusters are part of the South-South Galaxy virtual platform that facilitates information sharing, knowledge exchange, networking, and project collaboration among cities, local authorities, UN agencies, and other development partners. Currently, it offers interactive thematic spaces on:
- COVID-19 Response and Public Health
- Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation in Resilient Cities
- Sustainable Tourism, Heritage Protection and Creative Economy
- Sustainable Agriculture Value Chain Development
- E-Commerce, Digitization and Smart Cities
- Sustainable Transport and Air Quality
- Sustainable Waste Management, Green Cities and Renewable Energy