Urban Resilience Action Plan (URAP) for Cobija, Bolivia: Planning for Climate, Urban, and Biodiversity Action

The Urban Resilience Action Plan (URAP) for Cobija provides a strategic and operational framework to strengthen the city’s resilience to climate change, rapid urbanization, and biodiversity loss. Developed under UN-Habitat’s Resilient Settlements for the Urban Poor (RISE UP) programme, the URAP translates the findings of the Multilayered Vulnerability Assessment (MVA) into a set of prioritized, actionable, and context-specific interventions.

Cobija, a rapidly growing Amazonian city, faces increasing exposure to climate-related hazards, environmental degradation, and urban pressures that disproportionately affect vulnerable communities. In response, the URAP adopts an integrated approach that addresses the interconnections between climate risks, urban dynamics, and ecosystems, while strengthening local adaptive capacity and inclusive governance.

The plan was developed through a participatory process involving local authorities, technical teams, and community actors. Priority actions were identified and selected through multi-criteria analysis, considering resilience benefits, technical and financial feasibility, and social inclusion. The resulting action portfolio focuses on strengthening environmental management, risk reduction, and sustainable urban development, with an emphasis on nature-based solutions, improved governance, and community engagement.

Aligned with national and local planning instruments and international frameworks such as the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals, the URAP for Cobija serves as a practical tool to guide public investment, support the development of fundable projects, and advance climate adaptation and resilient urban development in Amazonian contexts.