18 – 20 February 2025 Bangkok, Thailand
The Asian Institute of Technology, Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific (AIT RRC.AP) successfully conducted the Regional Training Workshop on “Enhancing Climate and Disaster Risk Resilient Cities in Asia and the Pacific” from 18 to 20 February 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand. The workshop was organized in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), the Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), with financial support from the Ministry of the Environment, Japan (MoEJ).
The three-day capacity-building training program brought together 45 participants from India, Indonesia, Maldives, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. City Mayors, city officials, urban planners, resilience experts, and representatives from partner organizations engaged in strengthening climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction strategies for cities across the region.
The workshop commenced with a welcome speech by Dr. Guilberto Borongan, Director of AIT RRC.AP, followed by an opening address from Prof. Pai-Chi Li, President of AIT. Prof. Li emphasized climate change as a pressing reality, driving rising temperatures and sea levels. He underscored the workshop's role in equipping participants to develop action plans for building resilient cities.
Keynote speeches were delivered by Mr. Taiki Kohno, Assistant Director, Climate Change Adaptation Office, Global Environment Bureau, Ministry of the Environment, Japan (MoEJ) (virtually), Ms. Diana Patricia Mosquera Calle, Deputy Chief of the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Mr. Tam Hoang, Sustainable Urbanisation Specialist, United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and Dr. Senaka Basnayake, Program Lead, Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC).
The workshop featured a series of expert-led discussions, case study presentations, and hands-on training sessions. Participants gained in-depth learning on global urban resilience frameworks, including the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) initiative. Cities shared best practices in integrating resilience into urban planning, utilizing data-driven tools such as the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities. These interactive sessions helped cities assess their vulnerabilities and develop concrete action plans to enhance resilience. Through group exercises and peer-to-peer exchanges, participants identified gaps in their current resilience strategies and explored solutions. As an outcome of the training, participating cities developed preliminary action plans and strategies for further refinement and implementation.
The successful completion of the workshop marks a significant step forward in building climate and disaster risk-resilient cities in Asia and the Pacific. With strengthened capacities and actionable plans in place, city leaders are now better equipped to drive resilience initiatives in their communities, ensuring safer, more adaptive urban environments in the face of climate change and disaster risks.
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