The International Disaster Resilience Leaders Forum 2025 was held on September 29–30 at Songdo Convensia, Incheon, South Korea, under the theme “Strengthening Global Cooperation on Disaster.” Co-hosted by Incheon Metropolitan City, UNDRR, and the Incheon Institute, and sponsored by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the forum gathered more than 400 participants from across the world to share experiences and strengthen partnerships for disaster risk reduction and urban resilience.

As a long-standing partner of UNDRR’s Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) initiative, ICLEI East Asia Secretariat (ICLEI East Asia) has been actively supporting cities in the region to build resilience through peer learning and city-to-city exchange. From 2019 to 2021, ICLEI East Asia facilitated resilience assessment workshops in several Chinese cities using the Disaster Resilience Scorecard. By 2023, six Chinese municipalities had joined the MCR2030 initiative, representing over 28 million residents committed to reducing disaster risks and advancing climate adaptation.

This year, EAS supported two Chinese member cities — China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City and Changning District, Shanghai — to participate in the IDRLF, along with coordination from the ICLEI World Secretariat and other ICLEI member cities such as Barcarena, Brazil, which joined through ICLEI East Asia’s 2025 ICLEI-SMG City-to-City Peer Exchange on Local Climate Actions

During the City Networking Event, the two Chinese cities shared their experiences in integrating sustainability and resilience into local planning. Mr. Xiaofeng Sun, Deputy Director of the China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Administrative Committee, presented “Equipping Cities with Invisible Armor,” highlighting the city’s “Ecology + Smart” dual-drive development model and its indicator-based approach to safe and resilient city planning.

Mr. Qin Mao, Director of the Urban Renewal and Low-Carbon Project Management Center of Changning District, Shanghai, introduced local initiatives on urban renewal, community greening, and low-carbon living, emphasizing participatory approaches and evaluation systems that promote sustainable urban lifestyles.

Ms. Anina Hartung from the ICLEI World Secretariat and Ms. Patricia Menezes from Barcarena Municipality, Brazil, moderated respective sessions on city-to-city cooperation and mobilizing finance for local resilience. Both sessions underscored the importance of collaboration among local governments, technical partners, and global networks to accelerate practical actions for resilience.

Anina Hartung from the ICLEI World Secretariat

Patricia Menezes from Barcarena Municipality, Brazil

The participation of ICLEI and its member cities reaffirmed the network’s continued commitment to advancing disaster resilience through knowledge exchange, partnership, and innovation across regions.