South Korea strengthens local disaster risk reduction cooperation through study visit to Bonn
A delegation of 11 disaster management officers from eight cities and regions in the Republic of Korea, along with two representatives from the National Disaster Management Training Institute (NDTI) of the Ministry of Interior and Safety, concluded a week-long study visit to Bonn and Frankfurt, Germany. The programme was jointly designed and coordinated by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) through its Global Education and Training Institute (GETI), Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ROECA), and Bonn Office, in close collaboration with the City of Bonn, a Resilience Hub under the Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) initiative.
The study visit formed part of NDTI's international capacity-building programme for local governments, aimed at advancing local disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate adaptation capacities. Through exchanges with UN agencies, German disaster management institutions, and local authorities, participants explored innovative approaches to urban resilience, early warning, and flood prevention. The City of Bonn hosted the delegation and led field visits, including to the Mehlem Creek flood prevention system, which was featured by local broadcaster WDR for its community-level impact. The visit also drew attention from the local media, including a segment on WDR's Lokalzeit aus Bonn, and an article in the 30 October edition of the Bonn local newspaper General-Anzeiger, highlighting the city's resilience solutions and the international collaboration facilitated by UNDRR and MCR2030.
"UNDRR supports city-to-city learning and transregional exchanges like this through the MCR2030 initiative," said Yigyeong Oh, Associate Programme Management Officer, UNDRR ROECA. "Engagements between cities with different governance systems are invaluable for fostering mutual learning, strengthening local leadership, and advancing global cooperation in building resilience."
Participants expressed that the programme was highly informative and rich in content, allowing them to gain practical insights into local disaster risk management systems while connecting these lessons to global resilience agendas.
Susanne Nolden from the Department of International Affairs and Global Sustainability at the City of Bonn, emphasized the city's long-standing commitment: "As an MCR2030 Resilience Hub, Bonn is proud to facilitate knowledge exchange and share practical solutions that bridge global policies and local action. We look forward to continued collaboration with our partners in this global network."
Misook Kim, Director of the International Training Team of NDTI, expressed deep appreciation to UNDRR and the City of Bonn, noting that "this programme has been a meaningful opportunity to strengthen partnerships with European cities and institutions. NDTI plans to host similar exchanges in Korea and expand collaboration with cities across Europe and Central Asia. It is our hope that this exchange will serve as a foundation for continued collaboration between Korea and Germany in the fields of water management and disaster risk reduction."
Ms. Kim highlighted that the program provided a comprehensive view, from climate change and water management at the international level to national disaster management led by BBK, and finally to local-level implementation by the City of Bonn. She shared that among the many impressive elements, the cooperation framework between public authorities and volunteer organizations such as BBK and THW was particularly inspiring. This aspect, which Korea has not yet fully developed, offered profound insights and is a key area for future benchmarking.
Site visit to Mehlem Creek: Participants are listening to Ms. Julia Gerz's explanation about flood risk management in the region.
During the visit, participants also engaged with the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK), the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), the German Committee for Disaster Risk Reduction (DKKV), ICLEI, Global Water Operators' Partnership Alliance (GWOPA) by UN-Habitat, and other members of the Bonn Network for International Civil Protection and Disaster Risk Reduction.
This transregional initiative under the MCR2030 demonstrates the value of collaboration between resilience hubs, international organizations, and local governments to advance the goals of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.