Summary

Increasingly, natural disasters and complex emergencies are having devastating impacts on urban areas. More than half of the world’s population now lives in urban areas. Nearly one billion urban residents live in precarious informal settlements and slums and are among the world’s most vulnerable populations. Poorly planned, rapid urbanisation has increased the exposure and vulnerability of these populations to both natural disasters and complex emergencies. These catastrophes demonstrate the growing need for the international humanitarian community and governments to better adapt emergency response to the special requirements of urban areas. Better preparedness of local communities and governments and expanded partnerships with governments, communities and civil society will be required to reach the most vulnerable and affected populations in urban contexts.

This Strategy for Meeting Humanitarian Challenges in Urban Areas and Two-Year Action Plan reflect an understanding of the need to improve our business model. The strategy is built around six key objectives: 
i) Improving multi-stakeholder partnerships; 
ii) Building technical surge capacity and urban expertise; 
iii) Developing and adapting tools to urban contexts; 
iv) Promoting the protection of vulnerable urban populations; 
v) Strengthening livelihoods; and 
vi) Enhancing preparedness among national and local authorities in urban areas. 

The Strategy and Action Plan are evidence-based and reflect experiences and good practices from stakeholders throughout the international humanitarian system. 

Working under the direction of the IASC Working Group, the Strategy and Action Plan were developed by the IASC Task Force on Meeting Humanitarian Challenges in Urban Areas, chaired by UN-HABITAT, with active participation of UN agencies, IOM, international NGO consortia and the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement. The Strategy and Two-Year Action Plan were endorsed by the 78th IASC Working Group meeting in Rome on 10 November 2010.Humanitarian Challenges in Urban Areas.