WEBINAR ON MAKING CITIES RESILIENT 2030 (MCR2030):
Cities and Partners Engagement in Asia and Pacific
Online Zoom Application
13:00 Bangkok Time (UTC+7)
19-Nov-20
Naoya Tsukamoto
Phurba Lhendup
Omar Hussein Amach
Curt Garrigan
Lis Bernhardt
Jessica Barlow
Armen Rostomyan
English
Looking beyond 2020, there is an urgent need to accelerate the progress of resilience building at the local level, to bring cities on to the resilience pathway towards achieving the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the New Urban Agenda, the Paris Agreement, and the Sustainable Development Goals, by 2030. There is also a need for a more collaborative approach among partners to provide support for a successful implementation of measures to enhance disaster resilience at the local level.
Webinar on “Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030): Cities and Partners Engagement in Asia and the Pacific” is organised by the Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific located in Asian Institute of Technology (AIT RRC.AP) in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities – Network (EPIC – N).
This webinar aims to help cities and local government, International Non – Governmental Organizations (INGOs), and Civil Society Organizations officials, urban planners, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) experts to learn more on various approaches and roadmaps used by different UN Agencies and INGOs on:
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How to improve resilience?
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What operational structure can be established to support, connect, and facilitates resilience (ex. peer-learning, knowledge exchange amongst cities, etc.)?
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How to engage and contribute to the regional network of actors and global partnerships on urban resilience, DRR, climate change, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), that keep MCR2030 connected with global policies to aid coherence in contributing towards the 2030 Agenda?
The webinar will also raise awareness on MCR2030 and share best practices and lessons learned in establishing new partnerships and greater engagement of key stakeholders in urban risk reduction and strengthening cities' resilience to climate and disaster risks.
It is envisaged that proposed feedback and recommendations at the webinar will be shared with MCR 2030 Asia-Pacific Regional Coordination Committee (RCC) to be considered in shaping the campaign design and methodology.
SPEAKERS
Naoya Tsukamoto
Director, AIT RRC.AP
Dr. Tsukamoto is Director of the Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific (RRC.AP)at the Asian Institute of Technology, which aims to assists countries to advance their environmental and sustainable development goals through capacity-building, knowledge sharing, policy advice, and research on Climate Change, Air and Atmosphere, and Resource Efficiency / Waste Management
In his professional career, he has served as Senior Environment Engineer for the World Bank, head of Japanese Delegation to the IPCC/AR4, Vice-Chair and a board member of the Adaptation Fund Board, member of the Adaptation Committee of UNFCCC, Secretary-General/Principal Researcher for the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), and Project Director under the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS).
Phurba Lhendup
Head of Climate Change and DRR Cluster, AIT.RRC.AP
Mr. Phurba is Head of Climate Change and Disaster Risk Resilience Cluster at Regional Resource Center for Asia and the Pacific (RRC.AP) at the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand. He leads the team in providing capacity building and knowledge sharing services to the stakeholders in Asia and the Pacific regions on Climate Finance, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, and Disaster Risk Reduction. Before joining RRC.AP he worked for WWF in Bhutan and Cambodia for over 10 years managing projects and programmes related to Conservation, Eco-tourism, Climate Change, Freshwater, and River Basin Management. Prior to that he served as a Government Official for 11 years in Bhutan under the Department of Forests and Park Services working for protected area management.
Omar Hussein Amach
External Relations Officer, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Mr. Amach is the lead for communication and resource mobilization at UNDRR’s Regional Office for Asia-Pacific. He is also the UNDRR focal point for the Making Cities Resilient 2030 secretariat in Asia-Pacific. Prior to joining UNDRR in 2018, Mr Amach was a Foreign Affairs Officer at the US Department of State, in Washington DC, USA. In his 12 years with the Department, he covered a number of functional and regional portfolios, mostly focused on the Middle East and Asia.
Curt Garrigan
Chief of the Sustainable Urban Development Section, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)
Mr. Curt Garrigan is Chief of the Sustainable Urban Development Section for the Environment and Development Division of UN ESCAP. Before joining UN ESCAP, Mr. Garrigan served as Cities and Buildings Programme Manager for UN Environment based in Paris, France. He led UN Environment’s efforts to plan, along with major building sector stakeholders, the first ‘Buildings Day’ at COP21, and to launch the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction, which has mobilized 24 countries and more than 70 organisations to scale up building sector climate actions. He also coordinated the UN Environment’s efforts to assist countries in Southeast Asia to develop Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) for the building sector. Before the UN Environment, Mr. Garrigan served more than 20 years in many operational and management roles for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville, Tennessee USA including as a Deputy Mayor.
Lis Mullin Bernhardt
Programme Officer and Coordinator: Global Adaptation Network, Climate Change Adaptation, UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
Dr. Lis Mullin Bernhardt is an international development and environment professional who joined the UN Environment Programme in August 2016, first in the Freshwater Ecosystems Unit and then from November 2019 as part of the Climate Change Adaptation Unit. Lis is now the Coordinator for the Global Adaptation Network, an initiative that shares key adaptation knowledge and information around the world. In 2019 Lis also served on secondment to the Policy and Programme Division for SDGs coordination across house. Lis worked with UNICEF, Amnesty International and the UN Volunteers Secretariat, and UN-Water. Currently, she is a Programme Officer/Coordinator at the Climate Change Adaptation Unit of UNEP.
Jessica Barlow
Vice President of the Educational Partnership for Innovation in Communities (EPIC-N)
Dr. Jessica Barlow is a Professor at San Diego State University (SDSU), and she is the Executive Director of the SDSU Center for Regional Sustainability. Barlow founded and directs the Sage Project, which partners with local governmental and community organizations in the greater San Diego-Tijuana region via replication of the Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities (EPIC) Model. Barlow is a founding board member and currently serves as the Vice President of the EPIC Network. In this capacity, she oversees efforts to grow the network internationally through collaboration with national and international agencies.
Armen Rostomyan
Senior Programme Manager/Consultant, AIT RRC.AP
Mr. Armen Rostomyan has over 20 years of experience working as a Programme Manager in the fields of disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, humanitarian and sustainable development; program and budget management, monitoring and evaluation; organizational development, human and institutional capacity development, and strengthening civil society organizations. He worked as a Programme Manager and Organizational Development Specialist based both in HQ/ Secretariats, Regional Offices as well as in the Field Offices of various International Organizations such as the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, United Nations Development Program, World Bank, Habitat for Humanity International, Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), and Amnesty International Secretariat, responsible for the management of a portfolio of various humanitarian and development programs in 18 countries of Europe, Asia, and Africa regions.