Timeline: August 19, 2025 – September 16, 2025

Background

In collaboration, AIDMI, CityNet, CANSA, and INHAF are launching a five-part webinar series titled Adapting Together: Climate Stories and Strategies from Asian Cities. This initiative emerges in response to the escalating climate crisis and its increasingly visible toll on urban environments and citizens. Cities today are both contributors to and victims of climate change, generating over 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions while also bearing the brunt of its impacts through intensified flooding, extreme heat, rising sea levels, and growing water scarcity. These challenges are disrupting infrastructure, slowing down economic growth, undermining public health, and deepening social inequalities, particularly in rapidly urbanizing and resource-constrained regions across Asia.

Organisers

All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI) is an Ahmedabad-based action research group working at the intersection of humanitarian action, disaster risk reduction, and climate change adaptation. Since 1989, it has pioneered bridging policy, practice, and research through community-based action, spanning 14 disaster types across 58 cities and 9 Asian countries.

CityNet is the largest association of urban stakeholders in the Asia-Pacific, supporting over 160 member cities and organisations in sustainable urban development through cooperation, capacity building, and knowledge sharing on climate change, resilience, and SDGs.

Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA) is a regional coalition of 250+ civil society organisations across South Asia advocating for equitable climate action. It links grassroots efforts to national and global climate policy, amplifying Southern perspectives in climate negotiations.

Habitat Forum (INHAF) is an India-based civil society platform advancing inclusive urban development through advocacy, capacity building, and partnerships. A CityNet member, INHAF focuses on climate-responsive housing, urban policy reform, and equitable development.

Sessions Overview

Objectives

• Spotlight diverse forms of urban climate leadership across Asia, including both high-capacity cities and those navigating deep vulnerability
• Bridge knowledge and priorities between local governments, civil society, communities, and technical experts
• Showcase practical strategies for resilience, emissions reduction, climate finance, and socially inclusive urban governance
• Support peer exchange and mutual learning across the region by building regional networks
• Strengthen connections among Asian cities to advance collaborative, just, and locally grounded climate transitions

Target Audience

The webinar series is designed for a diverse audience engaged in shaping urban futures, including city officials and planners working on the frontlines of policy and implementation; civil society organisations and grassroots groups driving community-based climate action; researchers and academics contributing to the knowledge base on urban sustainability; and development agencies and climate practitioners supporting city-level transitions. It also welcomes young professionals and students in urban and environmental studies who are eager to learn from real-world examples and contribute to the development of the next generation of climate-responsive cities.