Workshop to systematically identify and evaluate strategies for strengthening community resilience
A multinational workshop as a part of a research project funded by the WHO Kobe Centre (WKC) was held from March 14 to 16, 2023, at the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Global Education and Training Institute in Incheon, South Korea. 21 frontline health and disaster management professionals from 8 countries attended the workshop to identify and evaluate strategies for strengthening community and public health system resilience
Participants explored results from application of the UNDRR Public Health Annex to the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities in Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Japan, Slovenia, Turkey, and United States. The results were consolidated into a series of key actions. These included encouraging broader approaches to public health in disaster risk management, building on lessons from COVID-19 to rapidly scale health services, better understanding ecosystem needs and their impact on resilience, and focusing more on mental health services and wellbeing. Dr Ryoma Kayano, Technical Officer at WKC, attended the workshop and emphasised the importance of disaster risk management to increase resilience in cities based on multisectoral and whole-of-society approach. A news release on UNDRR can be found here.