Responding to Crises Prioritising Climate Equity and Justice for Informal Settlements

Housing the world safely and sustainably is not only about producing housing units, but about how cities ‘house people’ over time; through access to land, services, infrastructure, and protection from the increasing climate risks. For informal settlements, this process is shaped by climate crises such as extreme heat, flooding, water stress, and environmental hazards, etc. These impacts are intensified by structural inequalities, including housing insecurity, inadequate infrastructure, housing conditions, limited access to basic services, and exclusion from urban decision-making. This networking event, convened by the National Institute of Urban Affairs in partnership with The Energy Resources Institute and Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action, will provide a platform to advance dialogue on climate equity and justice for informal settlements. Grounded in experiences from the Global South, the session will bring together policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and civil society to examine how informal settlements are currently housed within urban systems, and how this can be transformed in an inclusive and rights-based manner. The discussion will explore pathways to move beyond crisis response to long-term integrated and institutionalised approaches that embed informal settlements within climate action plans, housing strategies, and disaster risk reduction frameworks. It will centre on ensuring that adaptation measures strengthen and improve everyday living conditions rather than displacing risk. Drawing on case studies from India, Brazil, and Global South contexts, the event will highlight participatory planning, climate-responsive infrastructure, social protection, and equitable access to climate finance as tools for housing people to ensure procedural and distributive justice and equity. By focusing on cross-regional exchange and partnerships, the session will contribute to operationalising the New Urban Agenda and SDGs by placing informal settlements at the core of climate-resilience housing and urban development.