4 October 2010: The UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) has announced the launch of its “Making Cities Resilient: My City is Getting Ready” campaign, in the Arab region, at the General Assembly meeting of the Arab Towns Organization.

The aim of the campaign is to enlist over 1,000 local government leaders to invest more in disaster risk reduction (DRR), including: improving urban planning, infrastructure and building safety; reinforcing drainage systems to reduce flood, storm and health threats; installing early warning systems; conducting public preparedness drills; and taking measures to adapt to the increasing impacts of climate change. In the Arab region, several cities have experienced serious floods and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that many more Arab cities will be exposed to future disasters due to increasing unsafe urban settlements and climate change impacts. [UN/ISDR Press Release]