Collaborating Efforts to Strengthening Cities Resilience to Climate and Disaster Risks

Day 2 (9 March 2021) - 7th Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum
Stream: Communities and Local Resilience
Enabler: Planning and Process
Lead organizer: Asian Institute of Technology, Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific (AIT RRC.AP)
Co-organizer: Ministry of the Environment of Japan (MoEJ); United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR); Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)

Session Title: Collaborating Efforts to Strengthening Cities Resilience to Climate and Disaster Risks

This session will provide information and facilitate discussions on key challenges and issues in mainstreaming disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into local planning and policy development processes and increasing political commitment and social demand for climate and disaster-resilient development. It will share best practices, approaches, tools, processes and methodologies used to conduct cities resilience assessment and development of resilient city action plans and strategies in Asia and the Pacific region. The overall aim of this session is to strengthen an understanding of making cities resilient. It will share best practices and evidence-based local resilience planning in collaboration with partners and through multi-stakeholder engagement by being in alignment with national Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and adaptation strategies, Sendai Framework, Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the local level in the Southeast Asian region. The session’s objective is to provide a platform to discuss the opportunities, share experience and best practices in building capacities, raise awareness and promote disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation through relevant systems, policies, and processes.
Key messages:
• Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) partnership will foster proper strategies and collaborative efforts, which are vital to maximise the benefits of urbanisation and minimise the adverse effects of climate change.
• To amplify dedicated action focused on tackling underlying disaster risk drivers such as the consequences of poverty and inequality, climate change and variability, unplanned and rapid urbanisation is paramount.
• Enhancing local authorities’ capacity and alignment among local, national and regional strategies will contribute to appropriate planning and implementation in fulfilling the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Paris Agreement and other commitments.

Moderato:
Phurba Lhendup - Head, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Resilience,
Asian Institute of Technology Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific (AIT RRC.AP)
Welcome:
Naoya Tsukamoto - Director, Asian Institute of Technology Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific (AIT RRC.AP)

Keynote :
Kazuhiko Takeuchi - President, The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
Marco Toscano-Rivalta - Chief of the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)

Panellists:
Inu Pradhan Salike - Assistant Professor, Tribhuwan University, Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus
Armen Rostomyan - Senior Programme Specialist, Asian Institute of Technology Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific (AIT RRC.AP), Thailand
Arlene B. Arcillas - City Mayor, City Government of Santa Rosa, Laguna, the Philippines
Binaya Raj Shivakoti Senior Water and Adaptation Specialist, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)