1. Background of the event:
In the field of urban adaptation, mitigation, and resilience, the UCCRN, with
its network of 750 expert scholars and urban practitioners, is one of
the key knowledge partners of the NWP. The UCCRN has just published the Second
UCCRN Assessment Report on Climate Change and Cities (ARC3.2), which
was presented during the event.
The presentations given by the UNFCCC/NWP and the UCCRN were followed by
a facilitated discussion and a networking session. The facilitated discussion
aimed at addressing the following questions:
Which knowledge needs preventing climate action are not being addressed
by research/knowledge networks?
How can research/knowledge networks better collaborate, including with
other organizations, policy-makers and practitioners, to scale up climate
action on the ground?
2. Summary of the discussion:
The discussion led to an increased awareness
of the role of the NWP in
improving climate-resilience in cities. Participants also gained a better
understanding of the opportunities for collaboration under the NWP on human settlements and adaptation.
Such opportunities include:
- Sharing experiences and
knowledge on adaptation planning and action addressing human
settlements by responding to the UNFCCC
Secretariat’s call for submissions before 20 September 2017. More information
is available here.
- Sharing additional
information on case studies, tools/methods and other knowledge resources through the Adaptation knowledge portal.
Participating in
the discussion during the 11th Focal Point
Forum on human settlements and adaptation.
Collaborating in the
preparation of a synthesis report on human
settlements and adaptation, for
the 48th session of the Subsidiary Body for
Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), during the Climate Change Conference in May 2018. The synthesis report will inform the climate negotiations, including on the next steps in terms of closing
the knowledge-to-action gaps
in the field of human settlements and adaptation.
As a follow up, exchanging ideas amongst
experts from South and North, and building science-policy-practice
collaboration to help close the identified knowledge-to-action gaps.
The
discussion offered the opportunity to provide
more details on the ARC 3.2 report of the UCCRN, which constitutes the
latest scholarly, practitioner-oriented and creative research about urbanism.
UCCRN’s Case study docking station was also introduced as an online database
that facilitates multi-criteria search of the 115 urban case studies undertaken
in the preparation of the ARC 3.2. report.
As a result, urban policy makers and practitioners gained better access
to information, tools and other knowledge resources to support them in
formulating and implementing appropriate policies and interventions in their
own cities, in line with the objectives of the New Urban Agenda.
3. Recommendations and ways forward from the discussions:
Regarding the objective of catalyzing
adaptation action through knowledge, a key recommendation from the discussion
was to promote the co-production of knowledge, building on the experience and
practices of numerous urban stakeholders, including from local governments,
civil society, private companies and communities. It was considered important
to leave sufficient space for communities to self-organize in response to their
own approaches to risks and response actions.
An additional key recommendation from the
discussion was to inquire how the New Urban Agenda could be brought to the attention of
the climate policy arena in the UNFCCC process, and in particular during COP
22. The possibility of better linking the New Urban Agenda to the National
Adaptation Plan (NAP) process, in relation with the Least Developed Countries
Expert Group, was also mentioned.