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GEM’s Social Vulnerability and Integrated Risk (SVIR) Coordinator, Christopher G. Burton, was called on to assist in the formulation of indicators for the UNISDR Ten Essentials for Making Cities Resilient initiative, to support the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015-2030.While UNISDR’s Ten Essentials have been used in disaster preparedness and response activities since 2010, the Sendai conference places greater emphasis on building resilience at local and municipal levels, hence defining ways to measure improvements in resilience has become a pressing priority. Chris Burton’s contributions were drawn from his field work and tools which GEM has already successfully applied in Nepal and Ecuador, with support from our local partners, the National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET) in Kathmandu and the Secretariat for Security and Governance within the Office of the Municipality of the Metropolitan Area of Quito.

These included:- The Resilience Performance Scorecard (RPS) methodology as a way to strengthen institutional capacity and adopt resilience measures from the bottom-up;- The verification of existing hazard and risk assessments at a city level, to inform risk scenarios and develop long-term DRR plans; and- The integration of social vulnerability strategies in mitigation, recovery, and reconstruction plans. The indicators developed are currently being piloted in several cities around the world and we look forward to further collaboration with UNISDR.