The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has become a member of the Global Alliance for Urban Crises, which was launched earlier today during the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit (WHS), taking place on 23-24 May 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey.
The Global Alliance for Urban Crises will bring together urban professionals, UN agencies, the Red Cross and Red Crescent, municipal government networks and the private sector on a common platform for advocacy, lobbying and action to respond to the growing importance of urban humanitarian assistance.
The Alliance will make the following major commitments:
- an Urban Crisis Charter – Alliance members will work together to enable urban societies, in particular those most at risk, to prepare for, cope with and recover more quickly from the effects of humanitarian crises
- an Action Agenda – the Alliance will develop: innovative area-based approaches to address the nature and complexity of urban crisis management and response; more predictable surge capacity of local government and urban expertise to empower municipal governments’ response capabilities; methods for managing urban displacement effectively; and recommendations for sustainable financing instruments
As part of its own commitment, the RIBA is working in collaboration with the Royal Town Planning Institute and the Institution of Structural Engineers to create an advisory group, the aim of which will be to provide the international humanitarian and development community with a more effective conduit to the collective expertise of its member institutes together with access to the combined resources of over 100,000 members working in more than 150 countries throughout the world.
Peter Oborn RIBA Vice President International said:
“RIBA is delighted to seize this opportunity to be part of a vital new global framework for urban preparedness, response and recovery. We look forward to contributing the expertise we and our 40,000 members can bring to the alliance, particularly as there is an increasingly urban dimension to humanitarian crises.”
More information about the Global Alliance for Urban Crises session at the World Humanitarian Summit here:
- consultations.worldhumanitariansummit.org/bitcache/5f1a0a1810de2d56e49fed4e4e1bed3fe68e3f52?vid=574064&disposition=inline&op=view
- worldhumanitariansummit.org/live
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Notes to editors:
- For further press information contact Melanie Mayfield in the RIBA Press Office melanie.mayfield@riba.org 020 7307 3662
- RIBA’s International Task Group, led by RIBA Vice President International Peter Oborn, set out a detailed plan for RIBA’s role in engaging with the humanitarian sector in December 2014. The full report: Report of the RIBA International Task Group
- The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members Architecture.com
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