Background

Achieving climate-resilient cooling in Asia–Pacific requires more than technical solutions. Effective governance, cross-sectoral partnerships, and coherent roadmaps are critical to scale passive cooling and heat adaptation strategies. While countries in the region are beginning to mainstream heat resilience into policy frameworks, progress is often fragmented across sectors and institutions, limiting long-term impact.

Regional initiatives such as the ASEAN Passive Cooling Strategies (PCS) Roadmap are providing a valuable foundation for aligning approaches across countries. At the same time, organizations like the UNEP Cool Coalition, Climateworks, the World Bank, National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), and CEEW, are working with governments and communities to integrate cooling and resilience into planning, policy, and financing frameworks. These efforts underscore the importance of inclusive, multi-level governance and partnerships in building urban heat resilience that not only reduces risks but also advances equity and sustainable development.

This Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum session will highlight the role of governance and partnerships in moving from pilots to systemic action. It will showcase emerging regional frameworks, explore how cross-institutional coordination is driving the sustainable cooling in India and the region, and discuss how partnerships can support the implementation of passive cooling and heat resilience while promoting equity, gender inclusion, and community resilience.

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Objectives

• Highlight governance approaches and partnership models that enable long-term implementation of cooling and heat resilience strategies.

• Present the ASEAN Passive Cooling Strategies Roadmap as a regional framework for scaling passive cooling solutions.

• Showcase the contributions of national and international organizations in supporting integrated planning, capacity building, and gender-responsive approaches.

• Facilitate dialogue on linking local adaptation and resilience actions to regional and global frameworks.

• Identify opportunities for regional cooperation, knowledge exchange, and resource mobilization to accelerate adoption of sustainable cooling strategies.

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Agenda

9:30 – 9:35
Welcome and Opening
Ms. Marlene Nilsson, Deputy Regional Director, UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

9:35 – 9:45
Context Setting: Rising Heat Risks and Cooling Demand in Asia–Pacific
Ms. Parimita Mohanty, Senior Programme Manager, UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

9:45 – 9:55
Scaling Passive Cooling
Ms. Xiaoyi Jin, Senior Programme Officer, Clean Cooling Collaborative

Session 1 – Country Experiences: Heat Action and Passive Cooling

9:55 – 10:20
India’s actions on extreme heat: driving subnational action and financing for heat mitigation including National Disaster Mitigation Funds
Mr. S Rakesh Kumar, Joint Secretary, National Disaster Mitigation Authority (NDMA), India

10:20- 10:35
UNEP-SDC BeCool India programme
Mr. Benjamin Hickman, Programme Manager, UNEP India

Panel Discussion 1: Country perspectives on extreme heat action and passive cooling

10:35- 11:35
Panellists:
• Ms. Antenen Nadine, Regional Programme Officer on DRR, Climate Change, and Environment, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
• Dr. Sunimal Jayathunga, Additional Secretary, Environment Development Ministry of Environment, Battaramulla, Sri Lanka
• Albert P. Dela Cruz, Commissioner, Climate Change Commission, Philippines

Session 2 – From Strategy to Action: Partnerships and Roadmaps for Passive Cooling

11:35  – 11:50
ASEAN Passive Cooling Strategies Roadmap
Mr. Rio Jon Piter Silitonga, Senior Officer, Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EE&C) Department, ACE

Panel Discussion 2: Governance and Partnerships for Sustainable Cooling

11:50 – 12:25
Panellists:
• Moderator: Mr. Benjamin Hickman, Programme Manager, UNEP India
• Mr. Raman Kumar Singh, Senior Urban Development Specialist, National Institute of Urban Affairs India;
• Mr. Shravan Prabhu, Council On Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW)
• Ms. Xiaoyi Jin, Senior Programme Officer, Clean Cooling Collaborative
• Mr. Mehul Jain, World Bank

12:25 – 12:30
Closing Reflections
Mr. Rio Jon Piter Silitonga, Senior Officer, Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EE&C) Department, ACE