Bcrup Press Broadcast

‘Building the Climate Resilience with the Urban Poor’ is a UN Secretary-General’s Climate Ambition initiative that was launched during the UN Climate Summit in September 2019, in New York. Its Objective is to build the climate resilience and enhance adaptive capacity of the vulnerable population living in poor urban neighbourhoods in developing countries that are highly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change and disasters, primarily through a transformation of urban planning practice and by putting communities at the center of development. The Implementation Strategy was launched at the Africa Climate Summit 2023. This is a 10-year program aiming to build resilience and enhance the adaptive capacity of the urban poor in African Countries with an implementation cycle of 2 years. The BCRUP Strategy and Implementation Plan was launched by H.E. Dr. William Samoei Ruto, CGH, President of the Republic of Kenya, to provide strategic direction in advancing cities' climate action initiatives. This Plan serves to operationalize the BCRUP Implementation Strategy, ensuring targeted and effective climate resilience efforts in urban contexts.
We further recall the Declaration of the Inaugural Session of the African Urban Forum held from the 4-6 September 2024 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia which committed to strengthen political will with an aim of ensure that the implementation of the AU’s framework: the “Africa Urban Resilience Programme” (AURP) adopted by member states to increase the capacity of cities to address shocks and stresses related to climate change and disasters is embedded in the national territorial plans for human settlements and associated urban policies while leveraging on key initiatives including the UN Secretary General’s Flagship initiative on Building Climate Resilience with the Urban Poor (BCRUP) which Kenya and Brazil are co-leading on behalf of the global community.
Overall, this press conference seeks to highlight BCRUP’s potential as a compelling investment opportunity for development partners and as a platform to broaden African participation. By expanding its reach, the initiative aims to strengthen urban poor communities' resilience against climate impacts, driving local and regional adaptation.