28 September 2018: The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) has released a city-to-city disaster risk reduction (DRR) peer review. The ‘USCORE’ tool is expected to help cities implement the Sendai Framework for DRR and build the resilience of cities.

The tool arose out of a need identified by European municipalities for better access to tools, policies and expert, rigorous critique on DRR planning. A number of government departments collaborated with UNISDR during the tool’s two-year design, including: the municipalities of Amadora in Portugal, Greater Manchester in the UK and Viggiano in Italy; the University of Manchester; the UK Department for Communities and Local Government; the Portuguese National Authority for Civil Protection; and the Associazione di Protezione Civile Gruppo Lucano. The tool was first tested in Amadora, Greater Manchester and Viggiano.

The tool’s peer-to-peer review is “incredibly valuable” because it fosters exchange of information among cities.

The tool offers an independent and transparent assessment to support cities in planning for the future and in meeting the Sendai Framework’s 2020 target on local DRR strategies. The city-to-city peer review tool further aims to: ensure that the tool reflects a comprehensive, all-of-society approach to DRR; identify data and evidence to support city-to-city peer review; and promote usability by cities at all levels of maturity in their DRR planning.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s Chief Resilience Officer, Kathy Oldham, said the tool’s peer-to-peer review is “incredibly valuable” because it fosters exchange of information among cities. When Greater Manchester was testing the tool, for example, she said the process raised questions “around the interlinkages with economic growth, intergenerational equity and climate change risk.”

The tool’s methodology is currently being developed into a dedicated International Organization for Standardization (ISO) International Standard to support cities and local governments around the world. UNISDR Regional Office for Europe Deputy Chief, Abhilash Panda, said having a standard based on the tool will ensure that “systems and policies being put in place are compatible, increase safety and meet the needs of the society.”

UNISDR supported the development of the tool through its ‘Making Cities Resilient’ (MCR) campaign, with support from the European Commission (EC). [UNISDR Press Release] [USCORE Website]