Two-third of world population to live in urban areas by 2050

THE world has become an urban place and more than half of the world’s 6.7 billion people now live in cities.
This was according to the United Nations PNG resident coordinator, David McLachlan-Karr, during the  Disaster Reduction Day at the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby on Wednesday.
He said that by 2050, two thirds of the world’s population would be living in the cities and disasters affecting cities would be catastrophic as it would affect a larger population size.
That is why governments need to have strategies in place to contain disasters and to protect their citizens in their respective cities.
He said hazards caused a lot of damage and Papua New Guinea had a task to make itself a disaster resilient country.
McLachlan-Karr also delivered a message from the United Nations secretary-general, Ban Ki-Moon, in commemoration of the disaster reduction day.
Ban emphasised on the 10 essential actions that will make communities safer from disasters.
The10 essentials translated broad ideas about sustainable cities into workable solutions and recommend that governments assign a budget to serve every one;rich and poor alike, and that they invest in risk assessment, training on disaster risk reduction, ecosystem protection and early warning systems.
City planners must also tackle the principal sources of risk in urban areas, which are poor governance, planning and enforcement.
“Decision-making should be inclusive and participatory and the principles of sustainable urbanisation must be embraced and upheld, especially for the benefit of people living in slums and settlements,” Ban said.