International Disaster Resilience Leaders Forum Incheon 2024 (IDRLF2024) - All-of-Society Capacity Development and Education for Urban Disaster Risk Reduction

Overview

Since 2022, Incheon Metropolitan City, a Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) Resilience Hub, has been organizing the International Disaster Resilience Leaders Forum in partnership with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety of the Republic of Korea and UNDRR ONEA & GETI as an annual platform for local leaders from around the world to share experience and possible solutions for greater urban and local resilience in the face of disasters and climate change.  Recognizing the key role of local and national governments in driving disaster risk reduction efforts and enabling change and innovation, the Forum brings together national and local level leaders from Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia and other regions, and seeks to promote cross-regional exchange of DRR knowledge and expertise. 

The 2024 edition of the International Disaster Resilience Leaders Forum will focus on the capacity development needs of local governments for disaster risk reduction, and on multi-stakeholder efforts and effective practices to support the enhancement of the capacity of institutions and individuals for a disaster resilient society and risk-informed sustainable development.

The Open-ended intergovernmental expert working group on indicators and terminology relating to disaster risk reduction defines ‘capacity’ as the combination of all the strengths, attributes and resources available within an organization, community or society to manage and reduce disaster risks and strengthen resilience. This may include infrastructure, institutions, human knowledge and skills, and collective attributes such as social relationships, leadership and management. In turn, ‘capacity development’ refers to the process by which people, organizations and society systematically stimulate and develop their capacities over time to achieve social and economic goals. It involves learning and various types of training, but also continuous efforts to develop institutions, political awareness, financial resources, technology systems and the wider enabling environment. 

A noted in the UNDRR Strategic Approach to Capacity Development for Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction,  without adequate capacity – including knowledge, skills and resources – and mechanisms to ensure its development, it will be impossible to achieve the targets set by the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.

The Political Declaration of the High-Level Meeting on the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework, adopted by the UN General Assembly in May 2023, noted some progress made in the area of disaster risk reduction globally, but also emphasized the numerous gaps and challenges that continue to hinder the achievement of the Sendai Framework’s goal and targets. United Nations Member States recognized in particular the need to strengthen capacity development across all priority areas of the Sendai Framework, especially in developing countries, to further support improved understanding of risk, strengthened disaster risk governance, access to technology and financing, and preparedness.

This year’s International Disaster Resilience Leaders Forum will address possible strategies and examples of efforts by different countries, cities and stakeholders to strengthen capacity development for disaster risk reduction. Acknowledging that disaster risk reduction is the concern of the entire society, and that capacity for resilience should be built at all levels and across multiple stakeholders, from the household level to the national government level, the Forum will explore DRR capacity development strategies across all levels of society. The sessions will showcase examples of national to local capacity development support for disaster risk reduction; local level DRR capacity development programmes across sectors of governance, as well as community-level capacity development and education initiatives; city-to-city support and collaboration in enhancing capacity for resilience, including as part of MCR2030; and the role of academia and research institutions in supporting local governments in their resilience efforts. Hosted in Songdo Smart City, the Forum also offers an opportunity to learn from Incheon Metropolitan City’s experience in the area of disaster risk governance and application of smart technologies and services for citizens for disaster risk reduction.

By promoting knowledge exchange on inclusive and innovative approaches, the International Disaster Resilience Leaders Forum Incheon 2024 is aligned with global commitments to accelerate the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through inclusive, all-of-government and all-of-society approaches. The Forum will also provide an opportunity to reflect on the outcomes of the Summit of the Future (September 2024) and of the Regional Platforms on disaster risk reduction taking place in 2024, and to inform the 8th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction to be held in Switzerland in 2025.

The International Disaster Resilience Leaders Forum Incheon 2024 is organized by Incheon Metropolitan City, the Incheon Institute and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (Office for Northeast Asia and Global Education and Training Institute) on 28 and 29 October 2024, in Incheon, Republic of Korea, with the support of the Ministry of Interior and Safety and in cooperation with the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat.
 

About Organizers

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) is responsible for general affairs of the State Council, promulgation of Acts and subordinate statutes and treaties, government organization and prescribed number of public officials, awards and decorations, government innovation, administrative efficiency, e-government, personal information protection, management of government buildings and support for elections and referendums. Furthermore, the MOIS actively promotes local autonomy and decentralization by supporting business, finance and taxation of local governments and mediating disputes among local governments. In addition, the MOIS takes charge of establishing, supervising and adjusting policies related to safety and disaster management such as emergency countermeasure, civil defense and disaster prevention. 

Incheon Metropolitan City is the third largest city in the Republic of Korea with an international airport and harbor. The city has 168 islands and an area of 707.64 km2, with a population of approximately 3 million people. The administrative units consist of 2 counties and 8 districts. The city’s budget for 2023 is KRW 11 trillion (USD 8.305 billion). Incheon is Korea's first smart city to manage disasters, traffic, crimes, fires, and environmental pollution 24 hours a day through CCTV and IOT sensors installed throughout the city. Incheon has hosted International Organizations such as the World Bank, the Green Climate Fund and the United Nations. Incheon invited UNDRR to Songdo and established UNDRR ONEA & GETI in 2010. Incheon Metropolitan City was recognized as MCR2030 Resilience Hub in 2021 based on its continuous contribution and commitment to international cooperation for disaster risk reduction and urban resilience.

The Incheon Institute conducts systematic and reality-based research, as well as being responsible for carrying out surveys and analyses on various tasks and general issues regarding Incheon Metropolitan city, all in the pursuit to help the city establish and implement regional policies. The Incheon Institute conducts surveys and research projects regarding mid- and long- term development plans as well as for discovering major current issues affecting the city government administration. The Incheon Institute also carries out research projects entrusted by governments, government-invested agencies, and private organizations and engages in exchanges and cooperation with research institutes both at home and abroad. 

UNDRR Global Education and Training Institute (UNDRR GETI) was established in 2010 to develop a new cadre of professionals in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation to build disaster resilient societies. GETI has a global mandate to provide capacity building support to mainstream disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into sustainable development; convene and support inter-city learning to strengthen resilience (Making Cities Resilient); and to provide capacity building and best practice sharing support to national training institutions working on resilience issues. Based in Incheon, the Republic of Korea, UNDRR GETI is also the global secretariat of the Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030).

Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) is a unique cross-stakeholder initiative for improving local resilience through advocacy, sharing knowledge and experiences, establishing mutually reinforcing city-to-city learning networks, injecting technical expertise, connecting multiple layers of government and building partnerships.  Through delivering a clear 3-stage roadmap to urban resilience, providing tools, access to knowledge, monitoring and reporting tools. MCR2030 will support cities on their journey to reduce risk and build resilience. MCR2030 aims to ensure cities become inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable by 2030, contributing directly to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG11) “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”, and other global frameworks including the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Paris Agreement and the New Urban Agenda.

The Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS) is an international organization established with a vision to promote peace and common prosperity among the People’s Republic of China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.