“Resilient Housing in a Changing Risk Landscape: A Geneva Roundtable for the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction” gathered mayors, local, regional and national government representatives and international experts to discuss best practices, challenges, and innovative solutions to build resilient housing. The roundtable, held on the margins of the 6th UN Forum of Mayors, on 14 October, was co-organized by UNDRR, UNECE, UNDP, UN-Habitat and the Global Cities Hub.
For mayors and city representatives the discussion is especially relevant as cities have extensive responsibilities linked to resilient housing: they enforce building standards, they develop land-use plans, they translate national policies at the local level. However, when building resilient housing cities and regions are often constrained by the financial and technical support they can (or cannot) obtain from national and international actors. The event reflected the importance of International Geneva as a platform where local, national and international actors can exchange their perspectives on what works, what does not, and how to improve implementation.
Mr. Raf Tuts, Director of the Global Solutions Division of UN-Habitat, reminded everyone during his opening remarks that the lack of safe housing alternatives “leaves no choice but to adapt in unsafe, risky housing”.
H.E. Mr. Adil Karaismailoğlu, member of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye shared Türkiye’s reconstruction efforts following disasters and underlined the need to update housing regulation so that resilience is built before disasters occur.
Ms. Karina Delfino, Mayor of Quinta Normal (Chile), focused on inequality as a key contributor to vulnerability, as there are no risk mitigation considerations when people settle in informal housing. She highlighted the collaboration between local, national and international partners that helped, through funding and technical support, transform informal settlements into resilient housing.
Mr. Anwar Ali, Mayor of Larkana (Pakistan), reiterated the need for safe housing alternatives to informal, non-resilient housing. He also highlighted how, through multi-level cooperation with regional and national authorities, the city could build new, safer housing following the 2022 floods that hit the area.
For Mr. Hing Phorpminea, Mayor of Kampong Chhnang (Cambodia), working with a wide range of partners, including the private sector and international organizations, such as the Asian Development Bank, allowed the city to build new housing stock that integrates flood protection. He emphasized that resilient housing is not only about building housing, but also providing jobs and third spaces (community spaces, entertainment, etc.) for people.
Closing the interventions, Mr. Curt Garrigan (UNESCAP) reflected on the dissonance that sometimes exists between Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the local, national and global level: an SDG indicator that at the global level seems on track to be achieved, might show markedly different levels of completion at the local level. That is why localizing the SDGs is of capital importance!
Housing resilience means thinking in a holistic way on how to build communities that can provide housing, work, third spaces that have built-in disaster prevention and mitigation considerations. Multi-level cooperation remains key to realize resilient housing, including by unlocking financing of projects at the local level and by ensuring that planning and building regulations do not lag behind.
The Global Cities Hub remains committed to ensuring that local, national and international actors can come together to develop, finance and implement resilient cities, considering community needs and the local context. Geneva is, from this perspective, a unique environment where multi-level cooperation can deliver concrete solutions for a more resilient housing worldwide.
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