Photo Credits: ADPC
The Asia Pacific Urban Forum is a multi-stakeholder forum on sustainable urban development convened by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). The Forum, which takes place every four to five years, is the biggest regional gathering of urban stakeholders. It brings together policymakers from national and local governments, financial institutions, academia, civil society, research community, and the private sector to discuss innovative solutions, decide on shared goals and actions, and fortify successful partnerships in order to achieve sustainable urban development.
ADPC was able to widely share the knowledge and the lessons learned from the Urban Resilience to Climate Extremes (URCE) program at the 8th Asia Pacific Urban Forum held from 23 – 25 October 2023 in Suwon in the Republic of Korea. In total four side events were organized in partnership with different organizations.
ADPC led the session titled “Innovating Urban Resilience in the Era of Climate Change in Southeast Asia: Cases from Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam” in partnership with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and ICLEI Southeast Asia. The session brought together experts from the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam to share their insights and experiences providing valuable perspectives on sustainable urban planning, nature-based solutions, community engagement and disaster risk reduction. ADPC highlighted that climate-inclusive risk assessment is a key steppingstone for sustainable urban planning and improving urban resilience by presenting the assessments conducted in Nam Dinh and My Tho cities in Viet Nam.
The second side event, titled “Urban Climate Resilience: A key to Sustainable Urbanization” was jointly organized with the Urban Climate Resilience Trust Fund (UCRTF), administered by the ADB and the UNDRR, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. The session shed light on the emerging challenges to the cities in the region as a result of climate extreme events and highlighted the innovative strategies and enabling mechanisms that could improve urban resilience. ADPC shared its experiences on the Theory of Change adopted in two target cities in Viet Nam under the URCE program in building Urban Climate Resilience.
“Unlocking Finance for Urban Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience: Bottlenecks and Opportunities” was the 3rd side event, ADPC jointly hosted with the Cities Development Initiative for Asia (CDIA), and Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund (UCRTF) administered by the ADB. The discussion session was centered on the challenges and opportunities for mobilizing financing for climate adaptation and resilience in the cities. ADPC presented how the URCE Program recommendations are helping the two target cities in Viet Nam to develop bankable projects and enable them to access financing for building resilience.
Lastly, ADPC joined with the RMIT University Vietnam and Poly-urban Water and Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association (BORDA) in conducting the fourth side event titled “A planetary approach to resilience, social and natural inclusion in urban revitalization of post-pandemic Southeast Asian cities”. The session highlighted different approaches for the social and natural inclusion in the urban development to achieve the urban sustainable development in cities in Asia Pacific region. ADPC showcased the all-of-society approach adopted in Nam Dinh & My Tho cities in Viet Nam in addressing the urban inequalities.
Furthermore, ADPC maintained an Exhibition Booth during the three days of the forum. A short video clip of the URCE program showcasing the Urban Resilience Initiative in Viet Nam was screened for the people visiting the booth.
ADPC team consisted of Mr. Aslam Perwaiz (Deputy Executive Director), Dr. Senaka Basnayake (Director – Climate Resilience), Mr. Lalit Dashora (Senior Multi-hazard Early Warning Specialist), Ms. Warittha Wannathong (Urban Governance Specialist) and Mr. Chinthaka Ganepola (Urban Risk Management Specialist).
