Urban Climate Resilience
Thematic area
Cities globally are highly exposed to disaster and climate-related risks. With accelerating urban growth, increasing exposure to climate change risks and multi-dimensional vulnerability, it is critical for cities to employ an integrated, climate risk-informed development approach to advance resilient lives and livelihoods, and achieve progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For UNDP, the main areas of work are developing enabling environments and an evidence base to inform urban climate-risk management; financing and investment solutions for urban climate resilience, including through nature-based solutions; and accelerating the ambition and scale of urban climate actions.
Stories
UNDP is re-imagining urban resilience to protect people and the planet from climate change and to build back greener from COVID-19.
From ash clouds and floods to green energy and climate action, adapting to climate change means transforming cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In Liberia, coastal resilience projects financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) are protecting informal settlements and valuable coastal infrastructure. This is paving the way for further coastal resilience project development under the Green Climate Fund (GCF),in Liberia, as well as projects in Nigeria and Mozambique, all focused on helping the most vulnerable urban poor reduce their risk from climate change.
Partnerships
In recognition of the part that cities play in progressing national adaptation action, UNDP and UN Habitat have collaborated on several events and knowledge products related to vertical integration of adaptation planning. In 2018 they developed a supplement to the NAP technical guidelines called ‘Integrating Human Settlements into National Adaptation Plans’ (NAP-HS), launched at COP24. UNDP is a partner to the UN Habitat-led initiative ‘Building the Climate Resilience of the Urban Poor,’ launched at the UN Climate Summit in September 2019.
UNDP and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) are collaborating on a regional effort in Asia-Pacific to accelerate integrated local action for climate and disaster resilience. Globally, UNDP is a partner in the UNDRR-led ‘Making Cities Resilient 2030’ campaign and Coalition for Climate Resilient Investment (CCRI). Launched at the UN Climate Summit in September 2019, UNDP is a key partner to the CCRI, which seeks to transform infrastructure investment by integrating climate risks into decision-making globally, including in cities.
Projects
