The Asia-Pacific region is currently not on track to achieve the SDG 13 targets. Most vulnerable countries and communities must simultaneously deal with compounding risks associated with climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. Climate change and climate-induced disasters fundamentally threaten development in Asia-Pacific, often undermining the enjoyment of all human rights, and exacerbating societal inequalities by disproportionately burdening the poor and the most vulnerable groups, including women and children, indigenous populations, gender minorities, migrants, displaced and persons with disabilities. Between 2000-2019, eight out of the top ten countries by disaster occurrence and seven out of ten countries by disaster-affected population are in Asia Pacific.

Countries in Asia-Pacific must accelerate ambitious climate mitigation and adaptation actions to safeguard impressive development gains made and to rapidly transition towards an equitable low-carbon and climate and disaster-resilient development path in green recoveries post-COVID-19. Globally, a green recovery could cut expected emissions in 2030 by up to 25 per cent and could increase the chance of keeping temperature rise to below 2-degree Celsius, up to 66 per cent, according the UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2020.