The Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, Ambassador Vincenzo Grassi, concluded today the Chairpersonship of the Support Group of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).
During its mandate, the Italian Chairpersonship focused its work on three main priorities:
- The implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030;
- The cohesion between disaster risk reduction (DRR) and other relevant issues in the humanitarian landscape;
- The enhancement of disaster risk reduction within the humanitarian, development and peace nexus.
The importance of the Support Group as an informal consultative forum was demonstrated by the marked increase in the number and the regional diversity of delegations attending the meetings, demonstrating the growing interest and relevance of the DRR agenda in Geneva. During the year, the Italian Chairpersonship and UNDRR organized seven meetings, mainly inspired by the objectives of the Sendai Framework and the initiatives connected thereof.
The Chairpersonship also gave relevance to Italian projects on DRR and the national engagement in the creation of early warning systems on the African continent, also in line with the Mattei Plan for Africa and the G7 Presidency in 2024. Since 2020, Italy has supported, through UNDRR, the Africa Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Action System, which includes the establishment of “situation rooms” aiming at facilitating the exchange, monitoring and analysis of data and information relevant to the early warning system.
In the last meeting, Fabrizio Curcio, head of the Civil Protection Department, shared the Italian experience linked to DRR both at an international and national level. “The Italian Civil Protection is strongly committed to international cooperation activities in the field of disaster risk reduction. Prevention, inclusivity, ownership, and innovation are our keywords”, stated Curcio, underlining that Italy participated in multiple initiatives promoted by UNDRR, including the mid-term review of the Sendai Framework in May 2023 and the involvement in the G20 Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction, as well as the “Making Cities Resilient 2030” project.
Concerning urban resilience more specifically, Pierpaolo Campostrini, General Director of CORILA and the Venice Sustainability Foundation, presented the MOSE System built in Venice, a system of mobile dams capable of isolating the lagoon from the sea during high tide events, which represents a useful model for the many territorial realities threatened by the rise of sea level.
Ambassador Grassi finally congratulated the incoming Chair of the Support Group, Ambassador Tsegab Kebebew Daka, underlining Italy’s commitment to supporting Ethiopia, the first African country to hold the Chairpersonship of the Support Group for the upcoming year.
