EThekwini Municipality Mayor, Cyril Xaba, said information shared by other countries during a four-day G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group meeting will help the metro implement disaster resilience strategies.
During the meeting, held this week at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban, the City emphasised that the meeting's primary goal was to enhance disaster preparedness and resilience through global cooperation and solidarity.
Policymakers, government representatives, experts, and civil society from over 20 G20 countries participated in the meeting to find solutions to a number of challenges their countries are facing.
The G20 meeting allowed countries to learn from others regarding mechanisms and strategies to collectively integrate disaster risk reduction measures.
Xaba said the engagement comes after the City has seen its fair share of natural disasters.
“These forums will help us to gain knowledge and expertise from other G20 countries that will assist us in implementing disaster resilience strategies,” he said.
Xaba stated that hosting the engagement reaffirmed the urgency of the City’s collective responsibility to reduce disaster risk and enhance resilience to advance the global agenda on disaster risk reduction.
“This will assist us in promoting long-term investments that not only reduce disaster risks but also enhance long-term resilience, environmental sustainability, and economic stability,” he added.
Furthermore, the City said the engagements delved into tactics to collectively mitigate the severity of natural disasters as well as best practices to strengthen disaster resilience, focusing on prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.
While eThekwini has been extensively affected by disasters in recent years, significant strides have been made in implementing disaster recovery measures, said the City, adding that a number of programmes and projects have been initiated as part of disaster risk reduction to ensure they are environmentally sound, socially acceptable, and economically viable.
Xaba stated that these initiatives show that the City is following the 'Build Back Better' approach it has adopted to create systems and infrastructure that are stronger and less susceptible to future disasters.
“The majority of initiated programmes involve and empower communities to receive the necessary investments and knowledge to reduce vulnerability to disasters,” stated Xaba.
Sarah Houghton, a United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction delegate from Geneva, Switzerland, expressed gratitude that this important meeting was held in eThekwini.
She acknowledged the region's vulnerability, having experienced multiple flood disasters.
“This is very significant as this provides an opportunity to learn how eThekwini has been coping with such challenges and the strategies the City is implementing to ensure disaster risk reduction,” she said.
Houghton commended the Municipality for the advancements made in implementing post-disaster recovery plans and the use of technology to rebuild resilient infrastructure.
The City emphasised that G20 parties were urged to collectively mobilise technical and financial support for early warning systems. This is to ensure proactive measures and preparations to mitigate the impact of disasters on communities, especially in disaster-prone areas.
The engagements are a build-up activity towards the highly anticipated G20 Summit taking place in November.