The learning process on flood management for risk-informed urban development has begun
An insight into the Kick-off event from 18-20 April 2023 in Windhoek
The Connective Cities learning process on “Flood Management for Risk-Informed Urban Development” has taken off with great success. From 18 to 20 April 2023 practitioners from 16 cities and municipalities gathered in Windhoek, Namibia, for a kick-off event aimed at enhancing their understanding of flood management and promoting resilient urban development.
Jointly organized by Connective Cities the Global Initiative for Disaster Risk Management (GIDRM), the German Association of Cities (DST), and Engagement Global, this event marked the beginning of an intensive exchange of expertise. Let’s delve into the highlights of this initiative.
Promoting resilient urban development
The opening remarks were given by Ms. Judith Middleton from the GIZ project “Inclusive and Sustainable Urban Development” who represented GIZ’s country director Dr. Thomas Kirsch. The host city of Windhoek, represented by the Deputy Mayor of Windhoek Municipality, honourable Ms. Magdalena Lombard indicated that mainstreaming disaster risk management (DRM) means understanding and acting on disaster risks as part of decision-making processes across sectors to protect development progress, reduce losses and support growth. Ms. Hellen Likando from the Directorate Disaster Risk Management at the Office of the Prime Minister highlighted that the government of Namibia is geared towards building resilience towards disasters in line with the global Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030). She further encouraged participants to use the event to learn, tap into best practices, and to develop innovative ideas that can provide long-term flood risk management solutions to their respective cities for risk-informed urban development initiatives.
