Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) concluded the fifth online certificate training programme titled “Leveraging South-South and Triangular Cooperation: Inclusive and Technological Innovations for Urban Health and Disaster Risk Reduction” on 12, 19, and 26 March 2025.
Building on a successful partnership since 2020, this fifth training programme emphasized the importance of a whole-of-society approach, particularly in addressing the needs of the most at-risk groups—such as women, older persons, and persons with disabilities—in disaster risk reduction, health emergencies, and disaster risk management. Through expert-led discussions and practical case studies, participants gained valuable insights into advancing inclusive, resilient, and healthy cities through technological innovations and South-South and Triangular Cooperation.
“This training programme embodies the principles of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, which explicitly calls for an inclusive approach that considers the needs of all populations and groups. Through South-South and Triangular Cooperation, we can share valuable lessons and innovative approaches that ensure no one is left behind when disaster strikes.”
– Piedad Huerta Arneros, Chief of Office of Country and Subregional Coordination in PAHO/WHO, in her Opening Remarks
The first training session, led by UNDRR Global Education and Training Institute (GETI) on 12 March, emphasized disability-inclusive urban resilience in practice. The session introduced participants to the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities – Annex for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities, a practical tool that supports local governments in ensuring meaningful participation and accessibility for persons with disabilities in disaster risk planning and implementation.
“Persons with disabilities must be decision-makers in resilience strategies that affect their lives. Inclusion is not only a right—it improves the quality and relevance of our actions,”
– Carlos Kaiser, Executive Director of ONG Inclusiva
Practical case studies from Quezon City in the Philippines, and Pudahuel Municipality in Chile—both of which have applied the Disability Inclusion Scorecard provided real-world application insights for participants. “Since the implementation of the Disability Inclusion Scorecard, we have been able to strengthen our approach and adopt the necessary adjustments to close the gaps,” said Maria Elena Opazo, Director of Disaster Risk Management Department of Pudahuel Municipality.
Ma. Bianca D. Perez, Head of the Disaster Risk and Management Office of Quezon City, also emphasized how they were empowered to cater to the different needs of people with disabilities, “Profile of those capacitated [was collected] to ensure that the interventions were equitable, not just a one-size-fits-all solution, but cater to the different types of disabilities identified.”
According to UNDRR’s 2023 Global Survey on Disability and Disasters: 84% of persons with disabilities reported being unprepared for disasters and 56% reported lacking access to disaster risk information. These figures highlight the urgency to ensure the meaningful inclusion of persons with disabilities in disaster risk reduction planning.
Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of UNDRR, has offered three recommendations for action to all participants:
“First, we must continue building the awareness and capacity of institutions and staff to address this problem. For our part, UNDRR remains committed to supporting capacity development and to fostering all-of-government and whole-of-society approaches to disaster risk reduction.
Second, we must ensure that there are mechanisms to engage with at-risk groups and to capture their needs in planning processes. This is why UNDRR developed and piloted the Annex for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities, as part of our Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities. We invite all local governments to utilize this tested tool.
And third, we need to promote international cooperation and the sharing of good practices among countries, especially South-South and Triangular cooperation. By learning from each other, exchanging good practices, and working collaboratively, countries can accelerate the adoption of new solutions to ensure no one is left behind.”
– Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of UNDRR
A mini quiz at the end of the first training session reinforced key learning messages. A total of 1,362 unique participants from 141 countries and territories joined this session live, reflecting strong global interest in inclusive urban resilience approaches.
This joint training includes three online training sessions. The second session, led by PAHO/WHO on 19 March, explored the intersection of ageing, disability, and urban health emergencies, highlighting the importance of integrating diverse actors into disaster risk reduction and urban resilience planning to ensure inclusive and accessible solutions. The final session, led by UNOSSC on 26 March, was centered on leveraging technological innovation for urban disaster risk reduction and management. This session facilitated the exchange of knowledge and good practices on cutting-edge, low-cost, and high-impact technologies that can enhance urban resilience through South-South and Triangular Cooperation.
Dima Al-Khatib, Director of UNOSSC, called attention to the importance of South-South Cooperation, especially in capacity building activities to further SDGs
“South-South Cooperation fosters collaboration amongst developing countries by facilitating knowledge exchange, technical cooperation, and resource sharing to achieve mutual development goals.”
– Dima Al-Khatib, Director of UNOSSC
The UNDRR-UNOSSC-PAHO Joint Certificate Training Programme 2025 featured 30 expert speakers, with a balanced gender representation, and provided simultaneous interpretation in Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish, as well as International Sign Language, to ensure accessibility and inclusion.
The training series has been highly successful, attracting over 9,800 live session participants and 6,500 self-paced learners from 155 countries and territories over the past four training programmes. This year’s training alone attracted over 3,200 registrants, with 1,846 participants including 71 persons with disabilities, reflecting its growing reach and impact.
For more information and session recordings, please visit https://www.undrr.org/event/undrr-unossc-paho2025