Strengthening urban resilience in ASEAN through cooperation

Southeast Asia is one of the most hazard-prone regions in Asia and the Pacific and suffers severe financial losses from the impacts of typhoons, storm surges, floods and droughts every year. At the same time, the ASEAN region is facing rapid levels of urbanization. Combined and increasing risks from climate change and rapid urbanization in many ASEAN cities call for integrated approaches and strengthened regional collaboration. 

These Guidelines aim to contribute to a coordinated regional approach, and to strengthen urban resilience in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) through increasing cooperation and concrete action. They outline twelve implementation-focused Action Areas with a total of 37 concrete Activities for specific stakeholders in ASEAN. The Action Areas are the document’s centrepiece. They focus on selected aspects within Climate Change Adaptation (CCA), Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and sustainable urban development, especially where the three intersect, and are grouped into four clusters: A) Supporting integration across sectors and governance levels; B) Promoting and mainstreaming responses to selected climate-related key risks; C) Addressing vulnerable groups and gender aspects; D) Capacity building and implementation.