UNOSSC, UNDRR GETI, PAHO, WHO Joint Certificate Training Program
23 August – 13 September 2022 (Every Tuesday)
08:00 New York | 14:00 Geneva | 19:00 Bangkok | 21:00 Incheon
(Four 90-120 minutes online sessions, one end-of-course assessment, and one post-course survey)
Urbanization continues to rise at an unprecedented rate over the next three decades, from 56 per cent in 2021 to 68 per cent in 20501. While the future of humanity is undoubtedly urban where cities are hubs of jobs and opportunities, an increase in population density and informal settlement in high-risk urban areas are mounting challenges for urban populations.
Since 2020, cities around the world have faced even more challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic which exacerbates the vulnerabilities and brings a tremendous impact on urban health and well-being. The virus has taken the lives of millions and the public health and social measures brought a huge economic impact on citizens. The COVID-19 pandemic reveals the new reality: cities are living with uncertainties and facing much more complex risks. In order to transition to resilient and sustainable urban futures, cities need to evolve to reflect the interconnectedness of people, the planet, and prosperity. Cities must transition to systematic risk governance with an enhanced understanding of systematic risks2.
Business as usual will not lead to changes. Cities are at the forefront of opportunities to learn from the systematic impact of the pandemic and the complexity of risks amidst climate emergencies. Local authorities are in a vital position to ensure climate, health, and other risks are integrated into the city planning and financing processes, allowing city stakeholders to collaborate and take collective actions to reduce risks. Equally important is the mutual learning and support among cities across countries with their tested and innovative experiences. Strengthening municipal governments’ capacities in understanding the systematic nature of risks, disaster risk reduction, public health emergency response, as well as their abilities to collaborate and learn from each other’s experiences remain critical to the success of cities in this transformed world.
The Buenos Aires outcome document of the second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation (BAPA+40) in 2019 recognized that local authorities play a growingly indispensable role in South-South and triangular cooperation which can take different forms such as knowledge sharing, training, and capacity building, and technology exchange in various thematic areas including disaster risk mitigation and climate change. Such cooperation can support cities, especially in developing countries, in achieving sustainable development.
This training provides an opportunity for local authorities and urban development practitioners to mutually learn and share experience in transitioning to managing complex risks and a resilient future. Jointly organized by the UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), and the World Health Organization (WHO)/Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), it builds upon the prior two editions which were held annually in 2020 and 2021.
The first edition held between 8 September and 6 October 2020 focused on “Making Cities Resilient: Developing and implementing local disaster risk reduction strategy to respond to COVID-19 and to better prepare for the future” was attended by over 2,500 participants from 150 countries and territories. The second edition entitled “Build Back Better: Harnessing South-South Cooperation and Risk Reduction Planning for Resilient and Healthy Cities in the Post-COVID-19 era,” was held throughout June 2021 with over 5,000 registrations and 2,979 live attendances from over 1,000 cities in 155 countries and territories with close to equal gender participation.
The third edition will be organized from 23 August to 13 September 2022 with the focus on “Transitioning to Complex Risk Management and Resilient Urban Futures: Harnessing South-South Cooperation and Learning From COVID-19”, in conjunction with the Global South-South Development Expo 2022.
This training serves as introductory training for urban leaders, planners, and practitioners, aiming to:
By the end of this training, participants will:
Local and national government officials in charge of disaster risk reduction and management, urban development and planning, and public health emergency preparedness, national associations of municipalities, urban resilience and development practitioners, as well as civil society, private sector, and academia.
The course is open to all applicants from both developed and developing countries, especially young experts and officials. Participants from Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDs) are highly encouraged.
No. of Trainees: Maximum 3,000 participants, on a first come first serve basis.
23 August, 30 August, 6 September, and 13 September 2022
(Every Tuesday, a total of 4 online sessions)
All online sessions will be held between 90-120 minutes starting at the same time from 8:00 New York | 14:00 Geneva | 19:00 Bangkok | 21:00 Incheon
Virtually through the UNOSSC Virtual Expo site
(Access link will be provided to course registrants only)
English will be the main language. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Participants will be given an online voluntary end-of-course assessment via the UNOSSC Virtual Expo Site to test their knowledge and understanding of key content taught and presented in the training. The assessment will consist of a quiz to test knowledge on South-South and triangular cooperation, disaster and risk reduction, and public health. Participants need a score of 80% or above to succeed.
To enable evidence-based course evaluation, a post-course survey will be disseminated to participants to collect feedback on the course content and organization, as well as to understand participants’ development needs for follow-up and to facilitate future programmatic designing.
A certificate of completion will be given to participants who meet the following requirements:
Qualified participants who fulfill all requirements can obtain the certificate automatically from the UNOSSC Virtual Expo site.
Welcome & introduction on disaster risk reduction, public emergencies preparedness, and South-South and triangular cooperation (SSTC): trends, policies, and roles in supporting resilience at the sub-national/local levels
Utilizing the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities – Public Health System Resilience Addendum to strengthen cities’ disaster risk reduction planning and implementation (UNDRR GETI)
Whole of society and multi-sectoral/cross-sectoral approaches to all-hazard health emergencies preparedness in urban settings (PAHO and WHO)
South-South cities exchanges on ‘Transitioning to living with COVID-19 and managing complex risk scenarios’ (UNOSSC)
Participants must complete an end-of-course assessment and a post-course survey via the UNOSSC Virtual Expo site at the end of the course.
The site will automatically record attendance, session participation, results of exam, and survey assessments. Training certificates can be generated by the platform automatically for qualified participants who fulfilled all requirements.