Urban Risk-Informed Development Planning and Making Cities Resilient in eThekwini Metro Municipality
From 25-27 June 2025, stakeholders convened at the Durban International Convention Centre (ICC) for Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) workshop focused on advancing risk-informed urban development for resilience.
The workshop brought together city officials, government departments, NGOs, academia, and technical experts to foster cross-sector dialogue, identify investment priorities, and co-develop an action plan using the MCR2030 Disaster Resilience Scorecard.
This important effort is with the support of the German government through the implementation framework between the SADC Secretariat and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH under Resilience Initiative Africa, in partnership with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).
In her opening remarks, Deputy Mayor Zandile Myeni reaffirmed the city’s commitment to inclusive and collaborative climate action, stating: “Climate change is not just for certain departments - it’s for all of us. Communities should not be passive receivers, but active partners in resilience.”
“Climate change is not just for certain departments - it’s for all of us.”
Key Highlights:
The MCR2030 Scorecard is enabling cities to define clear priorities for building resilience
Strong emphasis was placed on inclusivity, coordination, and shared responsibility in disaster risk governance
Community engagement and alignment across local, regional, and national levels remain essential to long-term success
What’s Next?
Formation of a cross-sectoral task team
Continued inclusive dialogue and refinement of the scorecard
Development of an action plan to inform the revision of the city’s existing resilience strategy