Ignite Stage Event

Urban resilience to Climate Extremes in Asia and the Pacific

From Risk to Resilience
Venue: Great Halls 3 & 4 |Date: Wednesday, Sep 21, 2022 | Time: 12:50 - 13:05

Time Topic Speaker

12.50-12.52 Opening Remarks Mr. Aslam Perwaiz

Deputy Executive Director,
Asian Disaster Preparedness Center

12.52-12.55 Governance and Community Ms. Warittha Wannathong,

Readiness and Preparedness Urban Governance Specialist,
for Improved Urban Resilience Asian Disaster Preparedness Center

12.55-12.58 Adapting Climate Change Mr. Tam Hoang,

and Environmental Sustainable Urbanization Specialist,
Interventions in Urban UNHABITAT
Areas

12.58-13.01 Disaster Mitigation for Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed,

Urban Resilience – Associate Professor,
A Toolkit Approach University of Newcastle, Australia

13.01-13.05 Q&A Session Mr. Lalit Kumar Dashora

Senior Multi Hazard Early Warning
System, Specialist
Asian Disaster Preparedness Center
 Ignite Stage Event
Urban resilience to climate extremes in Asia and the Pacific
From Risk to Resilience
Venue: Great Halls 3 & 4 |Date: Wednesday, Sep 21, 2022 | Time: 12:50 - 13:05

BACKGROUND
Urbanization is bringing many new challenges to cities in Asia and the Pacific. While urban areas can
serve as hubs for development, increasing natural and anthropogenic challenges have the potential
to bring city systems to a halt and reverse years of sustainable development gains. Our actions to
integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation into urban planning processes can contribute to
sustainable development and to safeguarding the world’s most vulnerable citizens. This Ignite Stage
Event creates a platform to share knowledge and experiences on urban resilience pathways from both
Asia and the Pacific region.

Flash Talks:

Flash Talk 1: Governance and Community Readiness and Preparedness for Improved Urban
Resilience
Speaker: Ms. Warittha Wannathong, Urban Governance Specialist, ADPC
Abstract: This talk provides the brief process on strengthening the network governance with the
technical stakeholders and engagement with the city and community to enhance their capacity
through the various learning platforms under the ongoing program in Southeast Asia. Understanding
risk by engaging with the city and society to enhances sectoral preparedness in an urban community.
The knowledge and systematic linkage are crucial in improving urban resilience and sustainability.

Flash Talk 2: Adapting Climate Change and Environmental Interventions in Urban Areas
Speaker: Mr. Tam Hoang, Sustainable Urbanization Specialist, UNHABITAT
Abstract: This talk provides brief about adapting climate change and environmental interventions in
urban areas. Governments and stakeholders at all levels must develop adaptative capacities and
mitigation measures to weather climate impacts. At the same time, our ability to emerge stronger and
build back better, relies deeply on the capacities of cities to not only understand risk, but anticipate
hazards, and plan appropriate strategies. Fundamentally, transformative climate actions in cities are
essential to build more resilient and sustainable communities.

Flash Talk 3: Disaster Mitigation for Urban Resilience – A Toolkit Approach

Speaker: Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed, Associate Professor, Newcastle University, Australia
Abstract: This talk provides an example of the practical application of disaster mitigation for urban
resilience. It will introduce the “Urban Disaster Management Toolkit” developed by World Vision
International. The toolkit consists of an assessment-based approach to support disaster risk reduction
and management in urban areas. It allows organisations to assess strengths and shortfalls of existing
ADPC Ignite Stage Event | 1
urban disaster risk reduction and management programs and to establish action plans across the
different stages of disaster management based on operational and programmatic needs.

Q&A and Wrap-up

Moderator: Mr. Lalit Kumar Dashora, Senior Early Warning Specialist, ADPC
 
Speakers’ Profile:

Speaker 1: Ms. Warittha Wannathong Urban Governance Specialist, ADPC

Ms Warittha Wannathong is working as an Urban Governance Specialist specialized in ADPC. She has
15 years’ experience in the field of disaster risk reduction (DRR), local government risk management,
community based DRR, and people empowerment. Her focus has also included engaging with public
private partnerships in DRR. She has been a representative on the ADPC Gender and Diversity
Working Committee and also provides technical support to academia and other agencies for gender
and disability inclusion into DRR program implementation. Warittha has Masters in Social Development
Administration and BA in Political Science (Public Administration).

Speaker 2: Mr. Tam Hoang, Sustainable Urbanization Specialist, UNHABITAT

Mr Tam Hoang is a Sustainable Urbanisation Specialist with UN-Habitat Regional Office for Asia and
the Pacific, supporting implementation of the New Urban Agenda. Presently, the focus of his work is
on city-level profiling and diagnostics in areas concerning housing, waste management and transport.
Prior to UN-Habitat, he worked for UNESCO Disaster Risk Reduction TIU and ILO, and was a former
Member of the Jury for the UN Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction. He has spent over ten
years as an emergency first-responder and social activist on human rights, and was part of a ministerial
consultative committee providing advice to the Office of the Prime Minister of Australia. Tam holds a
BA Engineering, BA Commerce, and post-graduate qualifications in Disaster Risk Management, and
Education.

Speaker 3: Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed, Associate Professor, Newcastle University, Australia

Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed works at the School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of
Newcastle, Australia. He was the Program Convener and teaches in the UN-certified Master of Disaster
Resilience and Sustainable Development program. His research, teaching and industry engagement
spans across a range of thematic areas relating to disaster risk reduction including urban resilience.
He is currently working as a consultant for UNDP-Bangladesh to develop the urban resilience
component of the National Resilience Programme phase 2. He has contributed to urban resilience
training modules and an urban disaster risk management handbook as a consultant for ADPC, and
was responsible for the development of the Urban Disaster Management Toolkit for World Vision
International.

Moderator’s Profile:

Moderator: Mr. Lalit Kumar Dashora, Senior Technical Specialist, ADPC

Lalit Kumar Dashora is a Senior Technical Specialist at the Climate Resilience Department of the
Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC). Prior to ADPC, he worked as a Disaster Risk Management
Specialist at the Asian Development Bank (ADB). He holds Master’s degree in Geo-Information Science
for Earth Observation, Environmental Modelling & Management and Urban & Regional Planning. His
research interest is risk-informed climate-compatible urban planning and development in developing
countries, Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and other climate-fragile countries in Asia and the
Pacific.

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