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The document defines Nature-based Solutions (NbS) as actions to protect, manage, and restore ecosystems to address societal challenges while providing biodiversity and human well-being benefits. It identifies a lack of specific NbS frameworks in South Asia but notes that existing national laws and policies in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal provide a foundation for their mainstreaming. The report categorizes NbS into five IUCN-based approaches: ecosystem restoration, issue-specific ecosystem-related, infrastructure-related, ecosystem-based management, and ecosystem-protection. It details 15 urban case studies, including the Yamuna Biodiversity Park in New Delhi, the restoration of riverine areas in Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar, and the Green Lumbini Initiative in Nepal, highlighting the role of multidisciplinary partnerships and community engagement in achieving ecological and socio-economic resilience.

The document argues that peri-urban ecosystems in India are critical for the resilience of both urban and peri-urban populations but are frequently neglected due to ambiguous administrative boundaries and rapid urbanisation. It highlights the essential services these areas provide, such as flood control, food security, and microclimate regulation, while warning that unplanned infrastructure leads to environmental degradation. The brief recommends integrated, flexible planning at the district level, the revival of District and Metropolitan Planning Committees, and the adoption of participatory, community-led governance to balance development with ecological preservation.

The document examines the intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and urban inequality, proposing six priority solutions to build climate-resilient and equitable cities. It highlights how the pandemic exposed systemic vulnerabilities, particularly for the urban poor in informal settlements, and argues that adaptation investments offer high benefit-cost ratios (2:1 to 10:1) and local job creation. Proposed solutions include upgrading poor settlements, building water resilience, advancing nature-based solutions, creating knowledge networks, enhancing devolved funding, and fostering peer-to-peer city collaboration.

The document examines the vulnerability of agriculture-based livelihoods to climate hazards in peri-urban Gorakhpur and argues that climate-resilient development requires gender-responsive strategies. It identifies structural governance gaps, such as the lack of gender sensitisation in urban local bodies and the siloed management of urban, peri-urban, and rural areas, as barriers to inclusive resilience. The report advocates for a two-pronged strategy: sensitising policy-makers and planners while engaging diverse social groups, particularly women, through participatory methods and community-based institutions to ensure their needs and priorities are addressed in climate-compatible development.

The report analyzes ten CDKN initiatives in India, Indonesia, Nepal, and Pakistan to identify effective design pathways for scaling climate compatible development. It distinguishes between research-led, hybrid, and action-led pathways, concluding that longer-term, action-oriented approaches are most successful in embedding new practices across local, provincial, and national scales. The authors propose several design principles, including early action, adaptive management, and strategic knowledge brokering, to navigate the complex multi-level governance required for climate resilience and low-carbon transitions.

The report reviews the SDMPs of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Odisha, and Uttarakhand, finding that while they are sophisticated in disaster response, they lack sufficient focus on risk reduction, socioeconomic vulnerability, and climate change integration. It recommends clarifying institutional roles, operationalising risk-reduction funds, and aligning state plans more closely with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030.

The document argues that gender-sensitive approaches are essential for the sustainability and impact of climate resilience efforts in urban India, noting that urban vulnerabilities differ significantly from rural ones due to complex social dimensions of caste, class, and gender.

The report examines how gender-sensitive programming in urban India can enhance climate resilience and people's empowerment. Using the ACCCRN project in Mahewa ward, Gorakhpur, as a case study, it finds that while the project began as gender-blind, its evolution toward a gender-sensitive implementation phase significantly improved the sustainability of interventions in water, sanitation, and agriculture. The study highlights that urban gender dynamics differ from rural ones due to weaker social cohesion and higher dependence on external services. It concludes that women's active participation as agents of change, rather than mere recipients, drives better outcomes, though deep-seated patriarchal structures and a lack of gender-disaggregated data in planning remain significant barriers.

The report details an action research programme in Gorakhpur, India, aimed at incorporating climate change projections and vulnerability analysis into local disaster management planning. It highlights the use of 'Shared Learning Dialogues' and the Climate Resilience Framework to bridge gaps between national policy and local implementation, resulting in a climate-sensitive DDMP and state-level government orders to integrate disaster risk reduction into annual development plans.

The report examines the cost-effectiveness of typhoon-resilient housing in Da Nang, Vietnam, testing the hypothesis that such construction provides positive economic returns for households despite rapid urban change and increasing climate risks.

The document examines the vulnerability of Gorakhpur, India, to flooding and temperature increases due to its bowl-shaped geography and high groundwater tables. It argues that while flood-resilient housing is a priority and offers economic benefits, access to construction measures for resilience is not universal, necessitating policy interventions to improve access and promote innovative housing models.

The report examines how the combination of rapid urbanization and climate change is increasing flood risks in Gorakhpur. It highlights that the loss of water bodies and construction in the floodplains of the Rapti and Rohini rivers have reduced drainage capacity. Projections indicate that climate change will increase the intensity of rainfall events by the 2050s, potentially increasing the intensity of small rain events by 10 to 20% and more severe 24-hour events by 2 to 25%.

The document describes a programme in Gorakhpur, India, aimed at integrating climate change concerns into disaster management planning. It highlights the use of India's Disaster Management Act (2005) and a 'Shared Learning process' using a Climate Resilience Framework to build the capacity of district departments to respond to climate risks, particularly in a region where flood intensity and frequency have increased over the last century.

The document describes a CDKN-START programme that successfully transitioned Gorakhpur's District Disaster Management Plan from a coordination-focused document to a climate-sensitive plan. This was achieved using the 'Shared Learning Dialogue' (SLD) process and the Climate Resilience Framework to bridge gaps in technical capacity and inter-departmental coordination. Key achievements include the use of simplified extreme event analysis over standard regional models to increase government buy-in and the establishment of a mandate for integrating disaster risk reduction into annual development plans.

The document translates the global findings of the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report into a regional context for South Asia, detailing observed warming, projected risks to food and water security, and the potential for low-carbon development. It emphasizes that while further warming is inevitable, integrated adaptation and mitigation can protect development gains and offer economic opportunities.

The document details CDKN's efforts in India to enhance climate resilience through technical assistance, research, and policy support. Key initiatives include addressing 'silent disasters' in Ladakh, promoting gender-responsive state action plans, and using community radio for adaptation knowledge. It also analyzes the challenges facing State Action Plans for Climate Change (SAPCCs), noting that the automatic appointment of Forest Departments as nodal agencies often hinders the multi-sectoral coordination required for effective implementation.

The document details CDKN's efforts in India to integrate disaster risk reduction (DRR) with climate change adaptation (CCA), specifically through technical assistance to state governments and research on gender-responsive policies and resilient construction.

The report argues that gender-sensitive approaches lead to more sustainable climate compatible development by recognizing the distinct needs of men and women and addressing power imbalances. Using case studies from urban areas in India, Kenya, and Peru, it finds that women's active participation in decision-making improves the effectiveness of resilience-building activities, such as water and sanitation projects. However, the report notes that significant obstacles remain, including patriarchal cultural norms, lack of political will, and limited women's access to land and financial assets. It emphasizes that gender equality must be an explicit goal from the start of a project to move beyond addressing practical needs toward transforming strategic power relations.

The document examines the integration of climate resilience into the urban planning of Gorakhpur, India. It highlights the city's vulnerability to flooding and heatwaves, and details the process of developing a climate-resilient urban plan through the collaboration of local government, technical experts, and community stakeholders. Key efforts include mapping climate risks, improving drainage systems, and enhancing the capacity of local institutions to manage climate-related disasters.