Highlights

In a context of demographic pressure and rapid urbanization, MENA cities are particularly sensitive to exogenous hazards and shocks. Most cities in MENA are especially exposed to natural disaster and climate-related shocks, and the impact on cities has been aggravated by the rise in population density (62% of the total population of MENA live in cities and in absolute terms, the MENA urban population is expected to double by 2040), water scarcity and climate change. While the number of natural disasters around the world has almost doubled since the 1980s, in MENA it has almost tripled, affecting 40 million people over the last 25 years, and costing US$19 billion. With greater integration into global markets and in the wake of the Arab Spring, MENA cities are also increasingly exposed to broader sets of adverse shocks beyond natural risks, which can also jeopardize hard-won gains and affect cities’ stability, their enterprises, households and individuals. While enabling democratic reforms and paving the way for economic development (the results of which will be achieved on a medium and long term), it is estimated that the Arab Spring has resulted in US$800 billion in lost output in the seven hardest-hit countries. The migration flows generated can also have significant potential impact on the stability of several MENA cities.

To support MENA policymakers’ efforts to develop comprehensive and integrated risk management policies (including communities and the private sector), the MENA UKP will organize the conference: Increasing the Resilience of MENA Cities.  As the third in the MENA UKP conference series[1] and the second in a series of WB MENA resilience conferences[2], this conference will help advance a broader program to improve urban development in MENA.  The conference will both offer a means for leaders in this domain to share their experiences and lessons learned and for them to access and build on knowledge generated by the World Bank and other partners.   

The objective of this conference is to help cities in MENA increase their resilience toward a range of shocks through: