Guangzhou hosts seminar on resilient city building

A two-day seminar titled "Making Cities Resilient by 2030" was held in Guangzhou from April 10 to 11. 

The seminar aimed to enhance disaster management capabilities and climate adaptation models to build resilient cities. 

The event was attended by representatives from international organizations such as the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), domestic research institutions, and experts from institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), and Peking University. 

Around 40 representatives from emergency management, ecological environment, urban planning, and climate change departments in Guangzhou and Foshan also attended the seminar.

At the opening ceremony, Deng Maoying, the deputy secretary-general of the Guangzhou municipal government, stated that Guangzhou is actively exploring the path of innovative governance for super-large-scale cities, benchmarking the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, and striving to build more resilient and sustainable ecological city. 

Sanjaya Bhatia, director of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction in Northeast Asia, gave a detailed introduction to the United Nations' Making Cities Resilient by 2030 initiative, calling for joint efforts to carry out disaster risk prevention and control measures and to build resilient cities.

During the seminar, participants discussed the challenges, opportunities, and prospects faced by cities in terms of building resilience and exploring localized methods. 

Domestic and foreign experts and scholars from institutions such as the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Peking University introduced their cutting-edge theories, tools, and global experience on disaster risk reduction and resilient city construction. They also analyzed current policies on resilient city construction and made feasible recommendations to attendees. 

Representatives from relevant departments in Guangzhou and Foshan shared their experiences in emergency management, ecological environment, urban planning, and climate change. They also discussed the challenges and opportunities they face.

Overall, the seminar served as a platform to discuss ways to create more resilient cities, and to enhance disaster management capabilities in the face of natural disasters and public safety challenges. 

A group photo of the guests attending the event. [Photo/WeChat account: GZWS411665430]