FINANCING URBAN RESILIENCE: INVESTMENT AND SUPPORT FOR
CLIMATE ACTIONS IN CITIES AMID THE COVID-19 CHALLENGE
October 30, November 17, 19 & 25, 2020

OVERVIEW

One of Paris Agreement’s goals is to make finance flow to support city-level climate action (Article 2.1c). This commitment calls for the alignment of finance—public and private, domestic and international—and ensuring that mechanisms are in place to support investments necessary to steer cities’ growth in a climate compatible way.

Since the 2015 Paris Agreement, there has been a groundswell in city-level commitments to addressing climate change. However, implementing this ambition remains a challenge as cities face numerous barriers to accessing financial resources to fund their climate action plans. Policymakers, decision-makers, and practitioners at all governing levels are now faced with the challenge of formulating and implementing policies, processes, and instruments/tools that could fill the finance gap for climate change actions. It is crucial to bridge the gap between the supply and demand in climate finance to mobilize the needed funding sources from public and private mechanisms to advance climate-smart solutions in cities.

Additional challenges are posed by the coronavirus pandemic which is creating devastating consequences for lives and livelihoods around the world. The Philippine government is now looking towards recovery, with plans to revitalize the economy while greening its plan to build back better during and post pandemic. As the country rolls out its economic recovery plans for COVID-19, city leaders and urban decision-makers are now called to task to pursue response and recovery actions that are at the same time responsive and resilient to climate and disaster impacts and are sustainable.

In addressing these issues, city leaders and actors would need to work with national, regional, and even global partners to rapidly learn from each other and be able to implement climate solutions that can drive a more resilient and sustainable economy.

The Urban Resilience Investment Forum 2020 (Investment Forum) aims to bring together policymakers, private business and financial sectors, international organizations, and other relevant stakeholders to discuss the current landscape of support for climate action in cities and the pressing issues in accessing financing solutions and channeling investments to climate change mitigation and adaptation projects.

The Investment Forum is envisioned to be a key strategic platform for financing institutions, investors and other progressive climate change leaders both from the national and local governments to participate and dialogue. It is organized by UN-Habitat and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development for the “Building Climate Resiliency through Urban Plans and Design Project” which is implemented with the support of the German Federal Government’s International Climate Initiative (IKI).

OBJECTIVES

1. Provide a platform for:
• National governments to appreciate and understand urban design plans as means plans as means to accessing climate finance for resilience building.
• Local governments to:
a. Showcase climate resilient urban design projects to interested financing institutions and investors.
b. Understand fully the requirements for projects to access climate finance
c. Obtain leads and possible commitments from financing institutions and investors
• Major private and government financing institutions, investors, and climate action funders to:
a. Understand the unique needs of local governments for financing climate projects
b. Gather insights/information that would improve the mechanisms for assessing and evaluating climate change projects
c. find opportunity to finance urban designs and plans aimed at resilience building
2. Identify existing gaps and solutions in city-level climate-related finance, including public-private partnership, mainstreaming, and accessing and leveraging finance flows for climate change action in cities
3. Raise awareness about climate and sustainable finance in the field of urban development and resilience and strengthen capacity of stakeholders to develop an enabling policy environment that promotes public and private investment in climate change mitigation and adaptation projects, including actions that support COVID-19 green economic recovery, and
4. Provide practical suggestions and ideas to local governments on how to use existing financial instruments as well as generating new financial resources for climate change adaptation and mitigation.

The BCRUPD Project supports the Philippine government in improving policies, regulations, and capacities to adapt to climate change through the promotion of climate-responsive sustainable urban development plans and designs.

TARGET PARTICIPANTS

Donors/Financiers/Investors/Development Partners: Main and regional offices of the following institutions—Land Bank of the Philippines, Bank of Philippine Islands, Banco de Oro, Development Bank of the Philippines, Asian Development Bank; Department of Finance-Municipal Development Fund Office, World Bank, European Union, Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, Global Covenant of City Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCOM) German Embassy, Japan International Cooperation Agency, United States Agency for International Development, Korea International Cooperation Agency, Cities Investment Facility, Adaptation Fund, and Energy Development Corporation National Government Agencies: Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, Department of Interior and Local Government, Climate Change Commission, National Economic and Development Authority, League of Cities of the Philippines, Department of Public Works and Highways, Office of Civil Defense, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Energy, National Housing Authority, Social Housing Finance Corporation, Bases Conversion and Development Authority, Public-Private Partnership Center, Department of Finance Cities: At least thirty five Philippine cities.

Other Partners: GIZ Philippines, University of the Philippines School of Urban and Regional Planning, Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners, Philippine Business for Social Progress, Livable Cities, National Resilience Council, League of Municipalities of the Philippines, NGOs, Civil society organizations, real estate developers and media.

STRUCTURE OF THE PROGRAM

In view of the growing health risk posed by COVID-19, the implementing agency and Secretariat of BCRUPD Project management decided to postpone/cancel all events involving physical/face-to-face participation. Hence, the Investment Forum Organizers, in consultation with the Project Steering Committee have decided to organize the Urban Resilience Investment Forum 2020 as a virtual event.

The Investment Forum 2020 has been transformed into a Virtual Series to adapt to the COVID-19 outbreak. It covers the topics initially planned for the forum and will be divided into three parts with a total of eight sessions that are scheduled on different dates. It will feature both live and pre-recorded sessions.

Plenary sessions will be dedicated to cover specific topics and themes followed by a Q&A session. A summary of the takeaways from each part will be discussed in a final plenary session, which will be followed by a short closing segment.

A panel discussion composed of a moderator and experts, followed by a Q&A session, will be organized to cover the discussion on “Planning and financing urban climate adaptation projects”. A polling app, such as sil.do or menti.com, may be used to engage with the audience.

A number of ignite sessions/lightning talks by City Mayors will provide the space for the speakers to pitch and share ideas and will be followed by a Q&A session.

The expected duration of each session is 1.5 to 2 hours. There will be eight (8) sessions.

Part 1: Financing urban resilience in cities

This one-day event will comprise an opening ceremony, to be followed by a plenary presentation and panel discussion that will set the scene for thinking and the actions around financing urban resilience actions considering the global and national climate goals. The discussion will likewise tackle the importance of green recovery considerations given impacts of the COVID-19 crisis to the country’s economy and the prospects of achieving sustainable and resilient cities in the future.

Session 1: Plenary presentations to discuss city-level climate investment opportunities in cities and the current landscape of support relating to investment in local climate-smart solutions.

Session 2: Moderated panel discussion on planning and financing urban climate adaptation projects. Discussants will come from both the demand and supply side of climate finance to discuss, among others, the available financing mechanisms and instruments and funding sources that cities can tap to implement their urban adaptation projects; the technical support needed; approaches and new and innovative models that cities can deploy to narrow the financing gap for climate-smart investments, etc.

Part 2. Matching city-scale solutions with financing and investments

Sessions 3-7: Lightning talks by the five City Mayors to pitch their project proposals/ ideas and dialogues between financiers/investors/development partners and project proponent. Each of the five cities will have a scheduled session to present its urban plans and projects for climate resilience and green recovery. In said sessions, the cities and financiers/investors are expected to deep-dive into presentation and discussion around the details of the project and be able to generate leads or commitments to finance. Five video trailers featuring the city projects will also be shown.

The BRUPD team and city technical working groups/ teams will identify potential funders and partners to ensure the latter’s participation in this session.

Part 3: Investing in local climate solutions: Finance and resilience lessons for urban adaptation

Session 8: Plenary presentations on the ways forward, policy direction, and synthesis of learnings from the forum. Resource persons from the supply, demand and user sides will be invited to give reactions based on discussions on climate finance and planned city actions on climate and green, sustainable recovery. This session will be co-hosted with the Climate Change Commission (CCC) and will be part of the “national climate change consciousness week” celebration.

PROGRAM

Part 1: Financing Urban Resilience in Cities, 30 October