Government officials, urban planners, development partners, and local stakeholders will gather in Cox's Bazar for an Urban Heat Action Planning Workshop on 22nd & 23rd July aimed at strengthening the city's resilience to rising temperatures and extreme heat.
Organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) under its Enabling Urban Action to Enhance Climate Resilience in Asia project, the workshop is supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office through the Climate Action for a Resilient Asia (CARA) programme, in collaboration with United Cities and Local Governments Asia-Pacific (UCLG-ASPAC).
The workshop will focus on validating Cox's Bazar's local heat risks, reviewing and refining the proposed Urban Heat Action Plan, and identifying practical priority actions for implementation.
Experts say rapid urbanization, rising temperatures, shrinking green spaces, and expanding built-up areas are increasing heat exposure in cities across Asia and the Pacific. In Cox's Bazar, women living in non-permanent housing, outdoor and informal workers, fisherfolk, transport workers, tourism employees, and residents of the most heat-exposed areas are among those most vulnerable.
The Urban Heat Action Plan is designed to help the city prepare for and respond to extreme heat through improved risk assessment, early warning systems, institutional coordination, public awareness, and nature-based and infrastructure solutions.
The workshop also aims to strengthen the capacity of government agencies and partner organizations, identify pilot projects for immediate implementation, and clarify the roles of institutions responsible for carrying out the plan.
Participants include representatives from the Cox's Bazar Development Authority, the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, Cox's Bazar Pourashava, the Upazila administration, Union Parishads, and agencies working in urban planning, disaster risk reduction, public health, environment, tourism, and public service delivery. Civil society groups and representatives of communities most affected by extreme heat are also expected to take part to ensure the plan reflects local needs.
The initiative builds on a regional workshop on urban heat resilience held in Bangkok in April 2026 and marks another step toward helping Cox's Bazar adapt to the growing impacts of climate change.
