Towards Strengthening Cooperation for Urban Resilience in ASEAN

1 February 2024 -

The scoping paper presented a study that focuses on aspects in climate change adaptation, disaster risk management and sustainable urban development. This study highlights opportunities for strengthening cooperation for urban resilience across policy levels, sectors, and the region.

A wide range of initiatives and programmes exists in the ASEAN region that address urban resilience and sustainable urbanisation. SDGs Frontrunner Cities Programme (SDGs-FC): building on the ASEAN ESC Model Cities programme, the SDGs-FC is an initiative under the AWGESC. Funded by the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF), the initiative aims at supporting ASEAN cities in achieving inclusive, sustainable, resilient, and dynamic development in line with the ASEAN Vision 2020 through aligning city action with the SDGs (ASEAN SDGs Cities 2021). Key objectives of the SDGsFC are to support practices and policies enhancing green and sustainable development, to foster capacity building and to promote the exchange of knowledge and experiences. The programme also supports cities in producing tangible outputs to achieve those objectives. Under the initiative, cities produce a “Priority SDGs Report” and “Project Action Plan” and apply the “Inventory Method” to identify key policies and good practices that have the potential to impact sustainable development in the respective city.