1 June 2012: The UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) has announced that the Ibero-American Union of Municipalities (UIM) is now an official partner of UNISDR’s Making Cities Resilient Campaign.

According to UNISDR, UIM comprises 3,000 members from over 20 countries in Latin America, as well as Spain. UIM has partnerships with over ten training institutions and universities in member countries offering programmes developed by UIM in strategic planning and public administration. As part of its commitment to the Campaign, UIM will now hold training programmes on disaster risk reduction (DRR) and resilience building.

The campaign, launched in 2010, demonstrates local leadership and raises awareness of how efforts to reduce disaster risk are making cities safer and more resilient. The Ten Essentials for Making Cities Resilient include: organization and coordination of risk management; budget assignation; preparation of risk assessments; investment and maintenance of infrastructure that reduces risk; safe schools and health facilities; risk compliant building regulations and land use planning; education and training in disaster reduction; protection of ecosystems and natural buffers; early warning systems and emergency management; and the needs of survivors. The Campaign now has over 1,040 members in over 80 countries. [UNISDR Press Release]