WIEGO is part of a new initiative, coordinated by UN-Habitat, that aims to step-up climate action for the most vulnerable, helping 150 million urban poor adapt to climate change in informal settlements. Building the Climate Resilience of the Urban Poor was presented at the Climate Action Summit on 23 September 2019 in New York.
The impacts of climate change — flooding, landslides and extreme heat — most acutely affect the poor, who often live in inadequate housing located in informal settlements at high risk. They have few resources to recover or adapt. Cities must find solutions that will increase adaptation and will prioritize helping the urban poor who are most vulnerable.
The initiative is a collaboration of several community, government and non-governmental organizations, and is co-lead by the Governments of Kenya and Brazil. The partners of this new initiative have put together a collaborative approach to help urban poor in 140 "hotspot" cities in 50 developing countries adapt to climate change in informal settlements by 2023.
The initiative is meant to support climate-smart resilient spatial planning and infrastructure improvement and enhance means of livelihoods.
Learn more about Building the Climate Resilience of the Urban Poor.