12th International Convention of Melaka Twin Cities 2012

B&W’s Sebastiaan van Herk was invited to speak on the 12th International Convention of Melaka Twin Cities 2012: be prepared for emergency disaster preparedness and risk reduction, Malaysia.

The presentation and supporting paper ¨Challenges in Policy & Practice: Governance of integrated planning & Flood Risk Management¨ were well received and discussed with regional politicians and world-renowned scientists. Countries such as Malaysia face the challenge to decouple its rapid economic growth from increasing exposure to climate hazards. With a pro-active and long-term planning perspective they can leapfrog the technical lock-in in many European countries that was created as a result of immediate structural responses after catastrophes.

Mr. van Herk discussed with the chief minister of Melaka State and the mayor of Melaka the many governance challenges related to combining economic and urban development with flood risk management. B&W’s experience evaluating and supporting Dutch programmes such as the Room for the River and the Delta Programme proofed useful. The conference and collaboration is to support the City of Melaka in becoming more resilient. Melaka is already a participant and role model in the Making Cities Resilient Campaign of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.

Sebastiaan van Herk was invited to become an advocate for that UN campaign and collaborations with our European partner cities and clients can be considered.