Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) is a unique cross-stakeholder initiative convened by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) to improve local resilience through advocacy, sharing knowledge and experiences, establishing mutually reinforcing city-to-city learning networks, injecting technical expertise, connecting multiple layers of government, and building partnerships. Launched in October 2020 with operations beginning in January 2021, MCR2030 builds on the success of the preceding Making Cities Resilient (MCR) Campaign, which ran from 2010 to 2020 and engaged over 4,350 cities globally. The initiative represents a strategic shift from advocacy to implementation support, providing cities with a structured, actionable pathway to reduce disaster risk and build long-term resilience.

The ultimate goal of MCR2030 is to ensure cities become inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable by 2030, contributing directly to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG11) and other global frameworks including the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Paris Agreement, and the New Urban Agenda. MCR2030 specifically seeks to increase the number of cities committed to reducing local disaster and climate risk, improve cities’ strategic planning and assessment capacities, and support the effective implementation of resilience actions. A crosscutting aim is to strengthen vertical links between local governments, national governments, and national associations, as well as horizontal links between local and national partners, fostering a joined-up, systemic approach to risk-informed urban development.

At the global level, MCR2030’s implementation and delivery strategy is negotiated, agreed upon, and formed by core partners coordinated through a Global Coordinating Committee, supported by the MCR2030 Secretariat. At the regional level, Regional Coordinating Committees are responsible for coordination and technical support, working with Regional Secretariats. MCR2030’s core partners include the Resilient Cities Network (R-Cities), ICLEI, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), the World Council on City Data (WCCD), UN-Habitat, UNDP, UNDRR, the World Bank Group, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

MCR2030’s programmatic approach centres on a three-stage resilience roadmap that guides cities on how to improve resilience over time. Stage A (Cities Know Better) focuses on enhancing cities’ understanding of risk reduction and resilience through awareness raising. Stage B (Cities Plan Better) supports cities in improving assessment skills and developing risk-informed disaster risk reduction and resilience strategies. Stage C (Cities Implement Better) supports cities in the active implementation of risk reduction and resilience actions. Supporting tools include the MCR2030 Dashboard — an online platform connecting partners with cities requiring services — the OpenMCR open knowledge resource, a Resilience Hub programme recognising peer-learning cities, and a suite of publications, webinars, and training events delivered across global regions.