Title of Event: Heat-Resilient Cities through Integrated Heat Risk Governance and Investment
Date: Tuesday, 19 May 2026
Time: 14:00 – 15:30 (UTC+4, Baku time)
Location: Multipurpose Room 13 — Baku, Azerbaijan
WUF13 Networking Event | Organised by UNDRR and WMO
About the Event
Extreme heat has emerged as a defining challenge of the 21st century — more frequent, intense, and prolonged, driving rising mortality, productivity losses, infrastructure disruption, ecosystem decline, and deepening inequalities, especially in cities. Critically, it is also a growing threat to adequate, safe, and affordable housing, as housing sits at the centre of interconnected urban systems: energy reliability, water services, transport, food systems, and health all influence housing conditions and safety from extreme heat. Recognising the scale of the challenge, the UN Secretary-General has named extreme heat a “top-tier climate risk,” calling for urgent and coordinated action to strengthen prevention, preparedness, resilience, and governance.
To support heat-resilient housing and communities, a suite of practical tools is now available. UNDRR, WMO, and the Global Heat Health Information Network coordinated the Extreme Heat Risk Governance Framework and Toolkit, launched at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, to help decision-makers measure, understand, strengthen, and sustain heat-risk governance and investment across sectors and scales. The Urban Heat Risk Management Resource Package, developed in collaboration with the Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) Initiative, offers a three-stage roadmap, tools, and a dashboard for cities to assess risk, plan heat mitigation and adaptation, and monitor progress. The World Bank Handbook on Urban Heat Management in the Global South provides evidence-based strategies to integrate cooling and heat resilience into planning and design, strengthen green infrastructure, and expand sustainable cooling.
This session convenes technical experts, city governments, and partners to explore how these tools can strengthen coordinated, multi-sector action and investment for heat-resilient housing and safer, more resilient communities. It will unpack key drivers and cascading impacts of urban heat on housing, showcase available tools and integrated governance approaches, and spotlight practical challenges and successes in governing and financing urban heat action. UNEP’s GlobalABC and the UNEP-led Cool Coalition contribute expertise on heat-resilient buildings and passive cooling as core elements of the integrated response.
If you have any questions or would like more information about the event, please contact estefania.rodriguezdelpuerto@un.org.
