In parallel with the UNESCAP Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development 2026, NatCen and its partners will host a flagship event showcasing innovative, community-led approaches from Asian cities to address climate change, health risks and urban inequality. The event brings together Asian city case studies to examine how community-led knowledge and action can address the intersecting challenges of climate change and urban inequality

Aligned with the Forum’s mandate, the event seeks to inform, empower, and support Asia-Pacific countries, particularly least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, and small island developing States, in advancing the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. It does so by identifying regional trends and sharing best practices and lessons learned. 

This event focuses on Asian cities at the frontline of climate change impacts and widening urban inequalities, with particular attention to informal and other precarious outdoor workers. Linked to Sustainable Development Goals 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), the session will explore the following key questions: 

• How do climate change impacts shape the health and wellbeing of precarious urban outdoor workers and other vulnerable populations in Asian cities? 
• What lessons can be learned from community-led adaptations by women agricultural workers, outdoor labourers, and other marginalised groups in sustaining livelihoods and protecting rights? 
• How can inclusive partnerships among governments, academia, and civil society strengthen health resilience, disaster risk reduction, and social protection in contexts of urban inequality? 

This event will feature case studies from Thailand, Hong Kong (China), Pakistan, and Vietnam. It will combine brief presentations with interactive discussion to foster dialogue across research, policy, and community practice, and to move beyond rhetoric toward genuinely co-produced pathways for just and climate-resilient urban development.