A4 Front-line island cities with nature
The Front-Line Cities and Islands initiative, an ICLEI and GLISPA partnership, was launched at COP23 and has formal endorsement of the Fiji COP Presidency. Front-Line has been created to support the sustainable development of towns and cities in small island nations, facing extreme climate and disaster vulnerability. One entry point for working with island cities is to use the Sendai Framework scorecard which helps a city to assess its capacity to reduce the risk of loss and damage from disasters, and to effectively respond to and rebuild after disasters. One of the key dimensions of the Scorecard is Essential 5: “Safeguard Natural Buffers to Enhance the Protective Functions Offered by Natural Ecosystems”. And ICLEI will launch the new Cities With Nature initiative at this World Congress.
This session explores how a focus on Natural Ecosystems and Nature Based Solutions can be a central plank of an island city’s disaster preparedness, and how the ICLEI CWN program can provide practical guidance and support in building/rebuilding natural buffers.
Joshua Wycliffe
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government, Housing and Environment, Government of Fiji
Front-Line Island Cities with Nature
Steve Gawler
Regional Director, ICLEI Oceania
The case of Honiara
Andrew Mua
Mayor, Honiara City Council, Solomon Islands
The case of Curepipe
Berty Hans Margueritte
Mayor, Municipal Council of Curepipe, Mauritius
The case of Malmö
Trevor Graham
Senior Strategic Advisor, City of Malmö, Sweden
Cities with nature
Ingrid Coetzee
Senior Programme Manager: Biodiversity and Nature Based Solutions, ICLEI Africa
Peter Dinning
CEO, City of Nadi, Fiji