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Singapore International Water Week Spotlight 2025 was held from 23 to 25 June 2025 at the Singapore EXPO. Themed “Flood Resilient Cities: Adapting to Climate Change”, the three-day high-level Summit brought together close to 500 international and local delegates. Among them were 61 leaders representing 49 cities and regions, whose participation was supported by our strategic partners C40 Cities, the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.
The Need To Act Now
It was clear from the narratives presented at SIWW Spotlight 2025 that cities around the world are experiencing more frequent, and more intense storms. The resulting floods are recognised as one of the most pressing challenges for cities, often causing devastating impacts on communities and economies.
To spotlight these critical issues, city and industry leaders came together to share experiences and strategies for flood resilience, showcasing how city industry collaboration can enable access to knowledge, technology, and innovation to support the transformation of cities to become more climate-resilient.
City and industry leaders shared their experiences in flood solutions at the Cities Roundtable
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Key Takeaways from SIWW Spotlight 2025
| Takeaway 1 - Master Planning And Flood Risk Management: A Must Do – Even If Your City Is Not Flood Prone – And Need To Interlink It With Other Key City Systems & Risks
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Cities in attendance highlighted the growing risks and uncertainties posed by floods and extreme weather events. Many noted that what was once considered a rare "1-in-100-year flood" now occurs more frequently.
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In response, many cities have developed or are updating their flood master plans as key tools for managing these escalating risks.
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Importantly, flood plans are increasingly being integrated with other city systems like water, energy, transport, and health, as well as climate and biodiversity goals.
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Cities also recognised the need to streamline roles, responsibilities and communication across agencies and the government.
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Finally, many cities also see this as an opportunity to redesign urban spaces holistically, connecting city systems, communities, policies, and nature, for a more resilient and sustainable future.
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| Takeaway 2 - Flood Mitigation, Operations & Recovery – It Pays To Be Proactive Rather Than Reactive
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"Every $1 spent on prevention can save up to $15 in recovery," noted H.E. Retno L.P. Marsudi, United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Water.
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China's Vice Minister Chen Min shared how improved flood control infrastructure helped reduce flood-related economic losses from 0.49% to 0.23% of GDP.
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Cities stressed integrating grey and green infrastructure as the most effective mitigation strategy—combining hard defences with nature-based solutions.
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Enhancing early warning systems is becoming a top priority.
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And while preparation is key, resilient recovery planning remains essential for bouncing back stronger after extreme weather events.
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| Takeaway 3 - Social & Community Resilience – Key To Protecting Lives And Holistic Resilience
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Building social resilience is crucial to building flood resilience as cities and infrastructure alone cannot actually protect communities from the effects of floods. Individuals need to know what to do to know what to do in the event of a flood.
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To build effective social resilience, cities stressed the importance of actively involving the community in the process, rather than just disseminating instructions and information.
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Engaging residents early and meaningfully can raise awareness, tap into valuable local knowledge, accelerate recovery, and strengthen social networks. Cities were unanimous that the goal is to help communities live with flood and climate risk, not just react to it.
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