Uganda has committed to participate in the Building Climate Resilience with the Urban Poor (BCRUP) initiative that will focus on climate emergencies effecting infrastructure in cities, and poor urban areas, Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba has stated .
Uganda’s participation in the BCRUP initiative comes at a time when urban vulnerability remains a pressing challenge that threatens the livelihoods and economic performance of cities.The project will benefit 14 countries .
“ Currently, over 70% of Uganda’s urban population lives in informal settlements, with limited access to basic services such as clean water, sanitation, and healthcare. This situation hampers our ability to generate necessary GDP contributions and sustain stable growth, particularly in developing countries like Uganda,” Nabakooba stated .
Nabakooba was speaking at the World Urban Forum in Cairo Egypt.
Nabakooba thanked her counterpart Alice Wahome, the Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing, and Urban Development in Kenya, for her clear stewardship of the BCRUP initiative and for considering Uganda as a vital participant in its implementation process.
The minister regretted to note that efforts to address climate change vulnerability among poor urban communities have been fragmented at local, national, and regional levels.
“We must recognize the urgent need for coordinated action to mitigate urban vulnerability to climate change impacts and halt the advancing urban crisis. With the increasing trend of urbanization, many of our city residents now live in areas highly susceptible to climate-related disasters, such as flooding and landslides. If not urgently addressed, urban vulnerability will define Uganda’s crisis over the next decade,” she stated.
Objectives of BCRUP
The overall goal of the BCRUP initiative is to build resilience and enhance the adaptive capacity of the urban poor against adverse climate change impacts and disasters.
The program outcomes align with the new urban agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 11 on sustainable cities and communities, aiming to uplift the livelihoods of the economically disadvantaged while ensuring no one and no area is left behind.
Building climate resilience is crucial for Uganda, where climate change is projected to reduce agricultural productivity by up to 30% by 2050. This would exacerbate poverty levels, particularly among urban communities, where food security and economic stability are already precarious.
When the initiative is implemented , there will be mapping of urban vulnerable areas and preparing resilience urban spatial plans at city and subnational levels; bankable livelihood strategies to increase income and employment levels among urban poor individuals and entrepreneurs will be developed .
BCRUP will also ensure the establishment of resilient urban basic services, including improved human settlements and climate-proof infrastructure in urban poor neighborhoods.
