• Overview
  • Agenda & Speakers

Date: Thursday, 21 May 2026

Time: 14:00 - 15:30 (UTC+4, Baku time)

Location: Multipurpose Room 06 - Baku, Azerbaijan

WUF13 Networking Event |  Organised by the Ministry of Cities of Brazil, with UNEP

About the Event

Cities on the frontlines of climate change are often the least equipped to respond. Many face acute exposure to climate risks, flooding, extreme heat, and landslides, while simultaneously lacking the technical and financial capacity to design and implement high-quality adaptation projects. This session, led by the Ministry of Cities of Brazil and co-organised with UNEP, will discuss how technical assistance and support mechanisms can unlock climate-resilient urban development and foster safer, more sustainable communities.

The debate will present strategies from the Plan to Accelerate Solutions for Resilient Urban Infrastructure, one of the outcomes of the COP30 Action Agenda, and showcase four concrete initiatives: the new support line under the Infrastructure Fund for Recovery and Adaptation to Extreme Climate Events (FIRECE), focused on specialised technical assistance for climate adaptation; Brazil’s Periferia Viva Action Plan, implemented through Territorial Technical Advisory Teams (ATTs) and Territorial Posts in urban peripheries; Community-based Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Adaptation Plans, a pioneering initiative equipping informal settlements with tools and methodologies; and the ATHIS project (Building Capacities and Connections in Technical Assistance for Social Housing in the Global South), establishing foundations for South-South technical cooperation in housing.

Through exchange of experiences among governments and partners, the session will highlight pathways to accelerate climate-resilient development and foster dialogue among governments, partners, and financiers to scale up local solutions and mobilise investment. UNEP’s engagement will bring the perspective of the GlobalABC and the UNEP-led Cool Coalition on low-carbon, climate-resilient housing policy and finance.

If you have any questions or would like more information about the event, please contact estefania.rodriguezdelpuerto@un.org

Speakers

  • Moderator: TBC
  • Ms. Alice Carvalho — Director for Sustainability and Special Projects, Ministry of Cities, Brazil
  • Ms. Luana Alves — Coordinator for Articulation and Planning, National Secretariat of Peripheries, Ministry of Cities, Brazil
  • Mr. Aristides Ferreira Lima — Director General of Housing, Ministry of Infrastructure, Spatial Planning and Housing, Cabo Verde
  • Mr. Rui Leão — Secretary General, UIA – International Union of Architects, China
  • UNEP representative — TBC

Agenda

  • 14:00 – 14:05  | Welcome & framing — Ministry of Cities, Brazil / UNEP
  • 14:05 – 14:20  | Strategic context: the Plan to Accelerate Solutions for Resilient Urban Infrastructure (COP30 Action Agenda) — empowering cities and regions to lead climate action
  • 14:20 – 15:00  | Initiative showcase & panel discussion:
  •   → FIRECE: specialised technical assistance for climate adaptation and resilient urban infrastructure
  •   → Periferia Viva Action Plan — ATTs and Territorial Posts in urban peripheries
  •   → Community-based Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Adaptation Plans in informal settlements
  •   → ATHIS project — South-South technical cooperation in social housing (Brazil and Global South)
  •   →  Cabo Verde country perspective on local technical capacity
  • 15:00 – 15:20  |  Open dialogue — guiding questions: challenges for local governments; expanding local technical capacity; identifying actors best positioned to scale technical assistance (banks, city networks, universities, international organisations)
  • 15:20 – 15:30  | Closing remarks — key takeaways and pathways to mobilise investment for climate-resilient cities