Welcome to our first ever UCR-CoP newsletter

UCR-CoP newsletter, June 2014
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Visit the UCR-CoP calendar

Welcome to our first ever UCR-CoP newsletter

Back at the annual planning meeting in February, our community agreed that we need a regular newsletter to help us keep up-to-date with each others' events, projects and other activities, and continue the conversation on urban climate resilience. The Institute for Social and Environmental Transition (ISET) Vietnam and CARE International in Vietnam have brought you this first edition.

Members will work together to produce quarterly editions (four newsletters per year). If you want to contribute, let us know.

Upcoming activities

The UCR-CoP shared calendar is the information center for our community of practice. Visit the calendar to learn about fellow members' activities and add your own activities, projects and events.

Wednesday, 11 June (RSVPs due by today!)
Mid-year UCR-CoP event
Winrock International, Quang Ba Trade Union Hotel, 98 To Ngoc Van, Tay Ho, Hanoi (learn more)

What are you working on?
Click here to add your own event or projects to the calendar, or contact us to feature in the next newsletter!

Recent activity

Urban disaster risk reduction: Policymakers, practitioners and researchers met in Da Nang in April at a workshop to discuss the intensifying need for better DRR approaches in urban contexts. Read more at urbanclimatevn.com.

Meet Minh

In each newsletter we learn more about one of our fellow UCR-CoP members. Read on to meet Minh, Coordinator of the Vietnam NGO Climate Change Working Group.

News and articles

Read on to check out some interesting articles and discussions that are currently circulating online on the topic of urban climate resilience. In this edition, we feature recent posts on UCR and children in poverty, UCR and gender, and hot topics from Resilient Cities 2014.

Member profile

Ms. Nguyen Anh Minh, Coordinator, Vietnam NGO Climate Change Working Group (based at CARE International in Vietnam)

When did you join the UCR-CoP and what does your role involve?
I joined the UCR-CoP in February of this year and participated in the annual planning meeting of the UCR-CoP, where we had the opportunity to share many ideas and activities in the field of climate change resilience, urban planning and disaster risk reduction.

Why are you interested in the topic of urban climate resilience?
In recent years, climate change has been a hot topic in Vietnam, especially among NGOs working in development and disaster risk management. It is a fact that the majority of projects and programs have been focused on rural areas, which are considered the most vulnerable to climate change impacts. However, urban areas – particularly coastal cities – are also coping with the effects of global warming, especially sea level rise. I do hope that NGOs in Vietnam will focus more on and actively contribute to urban climate resilience, as people living in coastal cities are vulnerable to climate change as well.

What are some of the main activities or projects your organization is currently working on that relate to urban climate resilience?
Urban climate resilience is still new for CARE Vietnam, and we are seeking opportunities to engage more on this topic.

What might we be surprised to learn about you?
I have a little girl (four years old) and I always try my best to save time to take care of her.

Urban climate resilience news from around the world

Poorest urban children suffer most from disasters

A report by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) has found that the poorest children in urban Asian cities are suffering the most from climate change and extreme weather events. When children are treated the same as adults by aid agencies, their vulnerability to disasters and emergencies increases. Read more...

Considering gender in urban climate resilience

Charlotte Scott from SouthSouthNorth argues that gender equality must be promoted to increase resilience to climate change in urban areas. The growth of these areas and informal settlements in Africa demonstrates that we need a better understanding of how women are affected by climate change if we are to build "truly adaptive" cities. Read more...

Hot topics from Resilient Cities 2014

The language of resilience, methodologies for heat and flood mapping, and the role of crises in building resilience were some of the topics covered by world experts and leaders at the recent Resilient Cities 2014 conference in Germany. Check out blogs, articles, videos and more reflections here: Read more...

Do you want to chat online about these topics with your UCR-CoP peers? If you are interested in joining a web-based conversation with other CoP members about the above issues or any other UCR topics you are working on, let us know. This part of the newsletter could become a gateway to future interactive forum discussions via the UCR-CoP blog.

What do you think of our new newsletter? Send your ideas and feedback

This is your newsletter: let's use it to share content, views and ideas. Reply to this email (ucrmoderator@gmail.com) if you have:

Activities you would like to highlight in the next edition;
Blog entries you would like to write or share about your recent work or discussions;
People from your organization you would like to feature in a member profile in a future newsletter;
Online news, articles and publications you have created or read recently that you would like to share with others; or
Other ideas or suggestions for future editions.