Incheon City Certified as UN 'Disaster Risk Reduction Role Model City'... First in Korea

Highly Praised for Building Smart Cities Resilient to Climate Change and Disasters
Incheon City "Aiming to Be an International City Exemplifying Sustainable Development"

On the 3rd, Park Nam-chun, Mayor of Incheon, received a certificate of recognition as a 'Disaster Risk Reduction Role Model City' from Sanjaya Bhatia (third from the right), Director of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDR) Northeast Asia Office, at the city hall reception room, and took a commemorative photo with officials.
[Photo by Incheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon City has become the first in South Korea to receive a certificate from the United Nations recognizing it as a 'Role Model City Resilient to Climate Change and Disasters.'

According to the city on the 4th, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) has been promoting the 'Making Cities Resilient (MCR) Campaign' since 2010 to enhance disaster risk reduction capabilities of cities worldwide.

The Role Model City certification is a system in which the UN certifies cities that have joined this campaign and implemented innovative and efficient measures in disaster risk reduction and resilience, serving as examples for other cities. Currently, 4,314 cities worldwide have joined the MCR campaign, and 48 cities in 26 countries, including San Francisco in the United States, Canberra in Australia, and Bonn in Germany, have received the Role Model City certification.

Incheon City has become the first among 175 domestic cities participating in the MCR campaign to be named a Role Model City.

The history of Incheon and the MCR campaign dates back 10 years. In 2009, at an international conference held in Incheon chaired by former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the 'Incheon Declaration' was made, urging active participation and cooperation of local governments as key actors in disaster risk reduction and climate change response. This declaration triggered the launch of the MCR campaign the following year in 2010.

The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction highly evaluated Incheon City for incorporating the concept of a city resilient to climate change and disasters into the design from the planning stage of the economic free zone developed by reclaiming coastal tidal flats vulnerable to disasters, and for managing disaster risks in real time based on information and communication technology, certifying it as a Role Model City.

Additionally, the city was praised for attracting the UN and international organizations responsible for major global agendas such as disaster risk reduction, climate change response, and sustainable development, providing a platform for the international community to share knowledge, experience, and technology, and contributing to international cooperation by exchanging with cities in developing countries on the theme of disaster risk reduction.

In fact, in November last year, during an exchange between Incheon City and Kampala City, Uganda’s capital, conducted at the request of the UN, a delegation of 10 senior officials including the Deputy Mayor of Kampala visited Incheon’s Smart City Operation Center, the city’s disaster situation room and 119 comprehensive situation room, sewage and waste treatment facilities, and safety education schools.

Mayor Park Namchun stated, "Taking this Role Model City certification as an opportunity, we will actively collaborate with the local community for sustainable safety," and added, "Furthermore, externally, we will connect with the UN and international organizations on global issues such as safety, climate change response, and sustainable development to create various cooperation programs and share these experiences with the world."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.