8/13/2019 Press Release - New Fund Targets Climate Change Resilience

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New Fund Targets Climate Change Resilience for Urban Poor in 25 Asian Cities

Funding will be used to conduct vulnerability assessments and planning, fund resilience projects

and support knowledge sharing among practitioners

By 2018, the fund will have supported building resilience to climate change in 25 medium-sized

cities in Asia to reduce climate variability impacts on the urban poor

Fund launched by the Asian Development Bank, the UK Department for International

Development and the Rockefeller Foundation. The U.S. Agency for International Development

has also expressed an interest in supporting the Fund

(Bangkok, 29 November 2013) Leaders from the Rockefeller Foundation, the UK Department for

International Development (DFID) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) today announced the launch

of a new trust fund designed to scale up urban climate change resilience in 25 Asian cities.

The Urban Climate Change Resilience Partnership (UCCRP) will be used to fund planning, projects and

knowledge sharing to help cities in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Vietnam

mitigate the risks of increasing urbanization and climate change on their population, particularly the urban

poor.

Every year the global urban population grows as cities increasingly become hubs for economic activity.

However, high-density cities are often in hazard-prone locations and it is expected that 900 million urban

dwellers living in low and middle income countries will face risks related to the impacts of climate change

over the next 5-10 years, said Ashvin Dayal, Associate Vice President and Managing DirectorAsia of

the Rockefeller Foundation. This fund is designed to leverage financing, including an additional $1 billion

in public and private investment, to scale up climate change resiliencefor Asia.

Planning and projects supported by UCCRP will focus on physical investmentsdrainage, housing and

flood protection, and wastewater systemsas well as systematic improvements such as enhanced

surveillance and early warning systems, updated building codes, reformed regulations and resilience-

focused water and land-use planning. This approach is designed to develop comprehensive and

systematic resilience throughout urban communities.

UCCRP planning and projects will have a particular focus on poor and vulnerable urban groups. The

ability of projects to build resilience for vulnerable populations is a key selection criterion for participating

cities, projects and organizational partners.

The ADB will leverage their experience in urban infrastructure development to manage the UCCRPelement of the program while DFID and The Rockefeller Foundation will provide the initial financing

totaling $140 million. The U.S. Agency for International Developmenthas also expressed an interest in

supporting the UCCRP. Other donor agencies are invited to align their resilience investments using the

UCCRP framework.

The regions cities are going through an unprecedented population boom and their poorest citizens are

in the front line of an increase in extreme floods, sea level rises and other climate change-linked events,

8/13/2019 Press Release - New Fund Targets Climate Change Resilience

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said Gil-Hong Kim, Director of the Sustainable Infrastructure Division in the Department of Regional and

Sustainable Development at ADB. This innovative partnership brings together a private foundation,

bilateral organizations, and ADB - a multilateral development bank - to leverage and scale up solutions to

protect some of the world's most vulnerable urban communities.

Additionally, this program seeks to build urban planning capacities and coordination functions in each

participating city, develop community-led solutions and infrastructure projects, and influence government

and financial partners to incorporate climate change resilience into future urban investments.

The Rockefeller Foundation is proud to be a founding partner for this innovative new fund, said Dr.

Judith Rodin, President of the Rockefeller Foundation in a statement. Through our experiences with

related work such as the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network and 100 Resilient Cities, we

have already begun to see the tremendous positive impact of comprehensive and equitable resilience

planning, as well as the immense demand for it among cities. UCCRP represents a landmark effort to

help meet this demand, bringing together local governments, community leaders, donors, and private

enterprise to counter the threats that cities face.

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About the Rockefeller Foundation

The Rockefeller Foundation aims to achieve equitable growth by expanding opportunity for more people in more

places worldwide, and to build resilience by helping them prepare for, withstand, and emerge stronger from acute

shocks and chronic stresses. Throughout its 100 year history, The Rockefeller Foundation has enhanced the impact

of innovative thinkers and actors working to change the world by providing the resources, networks, convening

power, and technologies to move them from idea to impact. In today s dynamic and interconnected world, The

Rockefeller Foundation has a unique ability to address the emerging challenges facing humankind through

innovation, intervention and influence in order to shape agendas and inform decision making. For more information,please visitwww.rockefellerfoundation.org

About the Department for International Development (DFID)

The Department for International Development leads the UKs work to end extreme poverty. We're ending the need

for aid by creating jobs, unlocking the potential of girls and women and helping to save lives when humanitarian

emergencies hit. Find out more atwww.gov.uk/dfid

About the Asian Development Bank (ADB)

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth,

environmentally sustainable growth and regional integration. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members48

from the region. In 2012, ADB assistance totaled $21.6 billion, including cofinancing of $8.3 billion.

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kanitha@rockfound.org

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