​​​​​​​​​​​The Regional Training Workshop on Building Cities’ Resilience to Climate and Disaster Risks

Regional R​eso​urce Centre for Asia and the Pacific at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT RRC.AP), with financial support from the Ministry of Environment, Japan (MoEJ) and in collaboration with UNDRR, UN-Habitat, IFRC, U​CLG, ICLEI, ADPC and EPIC-NET, successfully conducted “The Regional Training Workshop on Building Cities’ Resilience to Climate and Disaster Risks” from 19th to 22nd February 2024 at Sukosol Hotel, Bangkok. This workshop was part of annual series conducted in support of the MCR 2030 campaign. There were 33 participants invited from seven countries from 9 cities in ASEAN and South Asia.

The welcome speech was delivered by Dr. Guilberto Borongan, Director of AIT RRC.AP, followed by a keynote address from Ms. Yuko Yoshida, Deputy Director, Climate Change Adaptation Office, Global Environment Bureau, MOEJ. Ms. Kathryn Clarkson, Head of Delegation, Country Cluster Delegation, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Bangkok, Thailand also delivered a keynote speech. Additionally, virtual keynote speeches were given by Marco Toscana-Rivalta, Chief of the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific at the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), and Srinivasa Popuri, Chief of the Bangkok Programme Office and Deputy Head of the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific at UN-Habitat.

Addressing the current and future challenges of integrating climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction into national and local development planning requires the development of new approaches, mechanisms, and sets of skills and competencies. Identifying and strengthening these elements are crucial to fostering increased public demand and political commitment to local actions and budget allocations. Key existing challenges include a lack of appropriate knowledge on the subject, insufficient government commitment, and the absence of mainstreaming in current organizational and government strategies and plans. The objective of this training workshop is to aid city governments in enhancing resilience to climate and disaster risks by incorporating climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction into broader city development plans and strategies.

In this context, fostering resilience and adapting to climate change are paramount for cities. Enhancing resilience in urban areas can be greatly enhanced by integrating disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation with ongoing initiatives in disaster risk reduction and related planning processes. The capacity-building workshop aimed to underscore the significance of proficient climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction practices.

Significant outcome of the regional workshop, including the development of city resilience action plans and roadmaps, which were integrated with existing broader city development plans, national disaster risk reduction (DRR) plans, strategies, and frameworks. Discussions also revolved around ensuring the finalization, approval, and enforcement of the Adaptation Plan. Furthermore, steps necessary for continued consultation, gathering feedback, and soliciting contributions from pertinent expert groups were deliberated upon.