Human settlements across Asia and the Pacific are increasingly faced with multidimensional challenges. The region is uniquely exposed to the effects of climate change, being, for example, the most disaster impacted globally in terms of occurrences, the number of people displaced and the level of economic losses. It is also the theatre of two major humanitarian crises – in Afghanistan and Myanmar – as well as numerous conflicts that receive less attention including ethnic tensions and outbursts of social unrest. 7 million refugees and 5 million IDPs reside in Asia and the Pacific. In this context, there is a clear need to integrate climate change and crisis approaches in humanitarian and development interventions.

Under this multi-country Asia-Pacific Programme on Cities, Climate Change and CrisisProgramme, interventions will be tailored to national and local climate change and crisis risks and experiences. The integrated interventions will address the ‘before’, ‘during’ and ‘after’ of climate change and crisis in cities and human settlements.