Building Inclusive Urban Resilience: Strengthening ASEAN Cities through Collaborative Action and Empowerment of Vulnerable Groups

Southeast Asia is one of the regions most at risk from climate change and is already suffering from the effects of climate change today. At the same time, the ASEAN region is facing rapid urbanisation. People in vulnerable situations, such as low-income households, the elderly, children, people with disabilities, women and girls are often disproportionately affected by climate-related hazards and other environmental risks. Women and girls are a particularly large group and face various challenges due to social, economic and cultural factors that can exacerbate the impacts of climate change and other environmental risks. By actively involving and considering the needs of these groups in the planning and implementation of urban policies, cities can ensure that resilience is strengthened in an equitable, inclusive and effective way.

On behalf of the German Federal Foreign Office, adelphi supported cities in the ASEAN region in strengthening their resilience to climate-related risks, with a particular focus on people in vulnerable situations and the gender dimension. To this end, the understanding of the needs of vulnerable groups and their participation in urban projects in the field of urban climate resilience was to be strengthened. In addition, the project aimed at supporting exchanges on inclusive resilience measures in ASEAN cities. 

As part of the project, a discussion paper was published examining the potential of nature-based solutions projects to support transformative approaches and empower people in vulnerable situations, especially women and girls, and increase their resilience to climate hazards. A workshop on this topic was also organised with city representatives from the ASEAN region to discuss ways of promoting and implementing such projects at city level, and to enable exchanges between the cities. The third project component comprised the revision of previously drafted guidelines for strengthening urban resilience in ASEAN in order to place a greater focus on strengthening the resilience of people in vulnerable situations.