Urban risk management and resilience strategy: address multiple risks and build resilience in small and medium-sized cities to make them safe, inclusive and prosperous places that leave no one behind

In an already urbanized world, an increasing concentration of people, development assets, infrastructure, socio-economic vulnerabilities and convergence of risks of multiple hues in cities and urban agglomerations underscores the need for an integrated approach towards resilience building. This is evidenced by the fact that cities today account for 55% of humanity, 70% of GHG emissions and 80% of global GDP. It is estimated that nearly 84% of the fastest growing cities face high vulnerability to disaster/climate risks, putting $4 trillion worth of assets at risk. Nearly 43% of people in fragile contexts are living in cities, and that number is expected to rise to 48% by 2030 and 59% by 2050. The ‘Urban Risk Management and Resilience Strategy’ is aimed at advancing the UNDP Strategic Plan outcomes with ramped action at city and local levels, help localize the SDGs and protect hard-earned development gains against multidimensional and systemic risks to build resilience.