From Belem to Busan - Strengthening urban resilience to sea level rise

Sea level rise is a slow-onset disaster with cascading effects that extend over 100 kilometers landward. One centimeter rise in sea level corresponds to the loss of 10m of land. This causes erosion and landslides; increases the occurrence of floods; destroys housing and urban infrastructure; contaminates aquifers, affecting water supplies, population health, agriculture and hydroelectric power production. From the coastline up to 100km inland, its area concentrates 40% of the global population, contributing approximately 60% to GDP. Addressing sea level rise and its cascading impacts requires not only global ambition, but also deeply rooted local action. During the UN Climate Change Conference - COP30, held last November, the Ministry of Cities of Brazil - in partnership with UNDRR, UN Local2030 Coalition, CDRI and Conservation International - launched the Road from Belém to Busan, a call to action from high level leaders that will engage UN Member States, subnational governments and strategic stakeholders to transform major international conferences into sustained processes that mobilize local action to: - Raise awareness on the causes of sea level rise and its cascading effects in urban areas within 100 kilometers landward. - Showcase solutions to reduce the cascading effects of sea level rise on urban areas. - Demonstrate national and local progress on strengthening urban resilience to sea level rise. - Foster knowledge transfer within and among regions and countries. - Facilitate integration between different UN global agendas and the localization of the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement, the Sendai Framework. The first stop on this journey is the WUF13, in Baku. This networking event convened by the Ministry of Cities of Brazil, Conservation International, UNDRR and UN Local2030 Coalition will: - Publicize the Road from Belém to Busan. - Showcase how capacity-building for local governments and urban practitioners is essential to mitigate and adapt to sea level rise impacts in cities. - Explore how cities can embed sea-level-rise adaptation into urban planning, housing policy, and infrastructure investment. - Establish the foundation for future partnerships and relationships to implement this initiative that contributes to localizing the SDGs, the New Urban Agenda, the Paris Agreement and the Sendai Framework.