The UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) has announced it will name Marcelo Ebrard champion of the Making Cities Resilient Campaign.
22 November 2010: The UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) has announced it will name Marcelo Ebrard, Mayor of Mexico City, champion of the Making Cities Resilient Campaign.
The announcement comes as the Mayor prepares to sign an historic emissions reduction agreement with over 70 other mayors days ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico. Under the “Mexico City Pact – Global Cities Covenant on Climate,” signatories commit to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a transparent manner. The Pact was developed under the leadership of Ebrard, who stated that because talks at the national level are not progressing quickly enough, cities need to take the lead.
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. [ISDR Press Release]