International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction: Urgent action needed to increase local and regional risk-preparedness

On the occasion of International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (13 October), the President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Marc Cools, has made the following statement:

"In the current times of climate change, local and regional politicians must look into any disaster risks that their territories are facing and start acting now, including by investing into young people's education and empowerment. Only if the young generations are well prepared respond to future risks and disasters, will we manage to make our cities and regions resilient and future-proof.

"The number of natural and climate-related risks and disasters has been increasing across Europe, and local and regional authorities are almost always among the first to respond to their consequences. Strategies and action against disasters must not only be initiated when a catastrophe has arrived, but well before, by developing the crisis preparedness, be it because communities are directly affected or because their solidarity will be needed.

"This is the approach promoted by the Congress in its Resolution 500(2024) and Recommendation 510(2024) on local and regional responses to natural disasters and climate hazards, adopted in March 2024 and calling for developing a comprehensive crisis response. This response would be based on co-operation between local authorities and higher levels of governance as well as among local authorities themselves, and would include plans for action before, during, just after and well after a crisis, in the anticipation of risks and disasters. The Congress itself is currently preparing a tool for local and regional authorities aimed at increasing risk preparedness at the grassroots."