Introduction

Climate change is an emerging threat to humanity. It has become a major concern in both developed and developing countries since it impacts all important sectors of the economy, including agriculture and forestry, hydrology and water resources, natural ecosystems and biodiversity, coastal areas, and those living in island states. In both Asia and Africa, the negative impacts of climate change have been witnessed in the form of erratic weather patterns, receding coastlines, pests, and waterborne diseases. Rapid population growth, urbanization, and industrialization in these countries are anticipated to further accelerate climate change. There is therefore an urgent need to review and plan for sustainable cities and towns so as to curb and manage anthropogenic activities.

To foster better understanding of the effects of climate change on Asia and Africa, the UNCRD Africa Office, and the Singapore Institute of Planners (SIP), will organize a senior policy seminar to enable African and Asian policymakers and scholars to learn from each other's experiences and design effective policies and strategies for sustainable and liveable cities. The seminar offers a forum to discuss cities' resilience to climate change. The impact on urban poverty, vulnerable populations, governance, and capacity of developing cities will also be discussed. Senior policy speakers from eight Asian (China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Viet Nam) and nine African countries (Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda) will attend the Seminar and present papers.

Objectives

More specifically, the seminar aims:

To provide senior policymakers and experts from selected African and Asian countries with a forum to discuss and exchange experiences in addressing climate change;

To address the problem of climate change in Africa and develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse effects and discuss effective methods of adapting climate change;

To provide the participants with the opportunity to exchange experiences in effective urban planning and design of urban spaces that stand against potential climate change threats; and

To provide policymakers and experts from Africa with a forum to learn from best practices in planning for housing and livable cities from Asian countries.