Interior Ministry Forum Focuses on Enhancing GCC Cities’ Preparedness to Address Climate Change
Muscat, 8 Oct (ONA) --- An event titled “City Resilience Forum for Climate Change and Major Incidents” kicked off in Muscat today.
Organized by the Ministry of Interior, the two-day forum came up with recommendations aimed at enhancing the preparedness of GCC cities to cope with climate change and major events, in addition to supporting integrated risk management among member states.
The forum called for boosting decentralization and supporting decision-making in governorates during emergencies, enabling governorates to provide financial allocations and engaging municipal councils and the local community in assessing risks and proposing solutions.
The forum recommended the development of a national mechanism for exchanging data and information among basic service sectors. It dealt with the immediate implementaton of the Omani Construction Requirements Manual, notably in low-lying areas and submerged zones—in addition to updating the Road Design Manual and making it mandatory for all projects.
It also included recommendations dealt with means of activating the roles outlined in the Dam and Valley Governance Guide, utilizing the GCC Building Code and international specifications for urban resilience (ISO 37100) and drafting a joint GCC guide for addressing climate events.
The event also touched on coordination with academic institutions to train technical personnel in the fields of crisis management during climate events.
The recommendations also stressed the significance of allocating annual budgets for stormwater drainage projects in cities, residential and commercial neighbourhoods, besides identifying funding priorities in this area. They also called for holding a workshop that brings together relevant stakeholders expected to establish unified governance for implementing and defining the roles and responsibilities of key and supporting entities. This is envisaged to provide a framework that ensures the effective implementation of recommendations at the national level, besides determining how governorates and government departments could be prepared to respond to crises.
The forum, which stemmmed from the recommendations of the 28th meeting of the Ministers of GCC Municipal Affairs, addressed 5 main themes: Climate change; Infrastructure challenges; Urban planning; Sustainability and adaptation; and the Role of municipalities in disaster and emergency management.
The forum saw the participation of representatives from more than 20 establishments from the Sultanate of Oman and GCC states. The participants presented 27 working papers that reviewed national and GCC experiences in resilient urban planning, resilient infrastructure, disaster management and energy and water sustainability.
The closing ceremony of the forum was held under the auspices of Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmed Al Shamsi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Social Development, in the presence of Sayyid Khalifa bin Al Murdas Al Busaidi, Secretary General at the Ministry of Interior.
--- Ends/Bishara/AG
