The Regional Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Settings brought together public institutions, NGOs and experts to examine issues of risk to climate change in urban areas with a focus on risk management and urban governance issues.
January 2012: The outcomes and conclusions of the Regional Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Settings have been published. The workshop was supported by, inter alia, the European Commission, the Government of Switzerland, the Adaptation Fund and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
The workshop, which took place from 18-20 October 2011, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, brought together participants from public institutions, NGOs, and disaster risk management and humanitarian assistance experts, who discussed: governability and development planning; risk reduction measures; and post-disaster recovery. Participants also went on a field visit to landslide risk areas in Tegucigalpa, and held local roundtable discussions.
Participants highlighted the importance of urban governability and the challenges posed by inequalities in the distribution of power among social groups. They stressed the lack of capacity to reduce disaster risk and an inability to link disaster management strategies with local action. They called for a reduction of institutional fragmentation and suggested prioritizing the consideration of demographic changes and vulnerability to climate change. [Publication: Proceedings from the Regional Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Settings: From Theory to Practice]