DAR ES SALAAM, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The city of Arusha in northern Tanzania, a major economic town in the east African nation and a major international diplomatic hub, is among 32 cities from around the world that have been invited to join the 100 Resilient Cities Network, authorities said on Friday.
A statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said the announcement was made this week at the Rockefeller Foundation's Urbans Resilience Summit in Singapore.
"Arusha is also serving as the host to the East African Community and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda," the statement said, adding that the resilience challenges that the Arusha city was facing include ageing infrastructure, drought, flooding, high unemployment and terrorism.
It said this second wave of cities will join 32 cities that won last year's 100 Resilient Cities Challenge, forming a growing network of urban centers around the world that are ready to respond to the social, economic and physical shocks and stresses that are a growing part of the 21st century.
"Urban resilience is the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses and systems to survive, adapt and grow no matter what kinds of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience," said the statement.
The statement said that from the impact of super-typhoons, to growing socio-economic inequality or the ability of city-systems to respond to booming populations and waning food supplies, 100 Resilient Cities aims to equip urban areas with the tools and support network to design, develop and implement holistic solutions.
"Each city is unique, and through the 100RC network, cities are building on each other's experiences, and learning the best resilience-building techniques," said Michael Berkowitz, president of 100 Resilient Cities, an independent nonprofit organization that provides governance and operational infrastructure to its sponsored projects.
"Members of the 100 Resilient Cities network are leading the world in showing that not only is it possible to build urban resilience in every kind of city, but it's an imperative," said Judith Rodin, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, an American organization aimed at promoting the well-being of humanity throughout the world.
