ICLEI South Asia - January 2021

ICLEI South Asia E-News

January 2021

Emani Kumar
Deputy Secretary General, ICLEI and Executive Director, ICLEI South Asia

Dear Friends,

We got off to a flying start in January, with an agreement being signed with the Gujarat government to formalise cooperation for the second phase of the CapaCITIES project, which is being supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. The project will provide technical support for the development of innovative financing models for large-scale deployment of climate-resilient infrastructure and the preparation of relevant policies.

Among other key developments, three Reverse Vending Machines were inaugurated in Hyderabad, under the “Enhancing Circular Economy Perspectives - Plastic Waste Management Strategy and Action Plan for Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation” project, supported by the IGES Centre Collaborating with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC), Japan, with ICLEI South Asia as the implementation partner. It is hoped that the installation of these machines will improve public awareness on the need for creating a circular economy for plastics.

We also released a policy brief on “Local Urban Resilience Plans Using Climate Adaptation Indicators: Development and Integration in National Planning Processes” in Bangladesh at an online session during the Gobeshona Global Conference. The policy brief has been developed under the CDKN programme. Additionally, we launched an initiative jointly with Dhulikhel Municipality in Nepal, under which ICLEI South Asia will help to conduct a voluntary local review of the Sustainable Development Goals as per the strategies set out by the city. There are also reports on the review and documentation of Urban95 programme activities and on the launch of Gangtok’s City Biodiversity Index, Local Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and the Illustrated Natural Asset Map of Gangtok in this edition.

We hope you enjoy reading this newsletter and look forward to your feedback.

CapaCITIES Project Consortium Signs MoU with Gujarat for Phase II Implementation

The Government of Gujarat has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Implementing Agency (IA) of the CapaCITIES project to formalise cooperation with the urban development and climate change departments of the state. Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Vadodara have also entered into an MoU with the project’s IA and the above-mentioned Gujarat government departments, to formalise the project’s execution in these cities.

Urban Resilience Planning in Bangladesh: CDKN Asia Unveils Policy Brief at Gobeshona Conference

CDKN Asia released a policy brief “Local Urban Resilience Plans Using Climate Adaptation Indicators: Development and Integration in National Planning Processes” during an online session at the Gobeshona Global Conference. The policy brief presents a snapshot of the policies on climate change and resilience building measures in Bangladesh, and assesses the role of local governments in achieving the national targets and international commitments with local climate resilience action plans and monitoring of adaptive capacity.

Urban95 Children’s Fest, Anganwadi Training in Udaipur: Review Shows Positive Reception

ICLEI South Asia organised a two-day festival for children in the 0-5 age group as part of the tactical interventions under the Urban95 programme in Udaipur in early 2020. The festival was organised to build confidence among the care-givers of the children about the plans of the Udaipur Municipal Corporation to provide better urban infrastructure for small children, and to demonstrate that neglected parks could be transformed into ITC-responsive zones.

Hyderabad Unveils Reverse Vending Machines to Tackle Plastic Waste, Promote Circular Economy

Three reverse vending machines (RVMs) have been inaugurated in Hyderabad, marking the launch of several initiatives to ensure systematic collection and transport of PET bottles to authorised plastic recycling facilities in the city. The RVMs have been set up under the “Enhancing Circular Economy Perspectives - Plastic Waste Management Strategy and Action Plan for Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation” project, supported by the IGES Centre Collaborating with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC), Japan, with ICLEI South Asia as the implementation partner.

Taru Engages with Schools, Experts to Build Urban Resilience to Heat Stress under CDKN Programme

Taru Leading Edge Pvt. Ltd. organised a webinar under the CDKN Knowledge Accelerator Programme with a focus on building urban resilience to heat stress. The webinar is part of a project ‘Urban Health and Climate Resilience,’ conducted in Surat and Ahmedabad, which helped to prepare a heat resilience toolkit to support cities in making heat action plans and undertook several capacity building initiatives, particularly focusing on engaging schoolchildren in monitoring heat in cities.

CDKN Asia Partners Release Knowledge Products on Climate-Smart Solutions

CDKN KBP partners in Nepal and Bangladesh have brought out knowledge products for local governments, extension workers and policy makers. The Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies, Nepal, has released a guide to help facilitate collaborative water forums, while LI-BIRD has brought out a Compendium of Climate-Smart Agriculture Technologies and Practices. BUET has finalised an issue brief that has applied an adaptation model in Bangladesh’s coastal zone to compute the adaptation deficiency in 20 hotspots that face a risk of storm surges.

Dhulikhel Municipality Launches Voluntary Local Review of SDGs

Dhulikhel Municipality in Nepal has launched the Voluntary Local Review (VLR) of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) based on the strategies set out by the city in its vision document. ICLEI South Asia, which is supporting Dhulikhel under its CDKN-Knowledge Accelerator programme to conduct the VLR and prepare a report, held an orientation meeting for the stakeholders from the municipality.

Gangtok Gets New Tools, Illustrated Natural Asset Map to Mainstream Biodiversity Conservation

The Gangtok Municipal Corporation has approved the City Biodiversity Index, Local Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and the Illustrated Natural Asset Map of Gangtok, developed by ICLEI South Asia as part of the INTERACT-Bio project. Mr. Arun Upreti, Hon'ble Minister for Urban Development, Government of Sikkim, recently released the tools and map, which will help to mainstream biodiversity conservation into urban planning. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Germany, through the International Climate Initiative.

India Smart Utility Week (ISUW 2021)

India Smart Grid Forum, a PPP initiative of the Government of India, is organising the 7^th edition of their annual flagship event - India Smart Utility Week (ISUW 2021) - from 2-5 March 2021. The event is an international conference and exhibition on Smart Energy and Smart Mobility for Smarter Cities on Digital Platform.

ICLEI World Congress 2021

Hundreds of local, regional and national governments, international agencies, representatives of the private sector, academics and researchers, community groups and other partners from around the world will come together virtually to steer the global sustainable development agenda by enhancing action taken in urban areas worldwide. Join the first part of the ICLEI World Congress, to be hosted by Malmö, Sweden, from 13-15 April 2021, from the comfort of your own home or office. The second part will be a three-day, in-person event in Malmö during the second quarter of 2022.

ICLEI South Asia E-News

January 2021

CapaCITIES Project Consortium Signs MoU with Gujarat for Phase II Implementation

Urban Resilience Planning in Bangladesh: CDKN Asia Unveils Policy Brief at Gobeshona Conference

Urban95 Children’s Fest, Anganwadi Training in Udaipur: Review Shows Positive Reception

Hyderabad Unveils Reverse Vending Machines to Tackle Plastic Waste, Promote Circular Economy

Taru Engages with Schools, Experts to Build Urban Resilience to Heat Stress under CDKN Programme

CDKN Asia Partners Release Knowledge Products on Climate-Smart Solutions

Dhulikhel Municipality Launches Voluntary Local Review of SDGs

Gangtok Gets New Tools, Illustrated Natural Asset Map to Mainstream Biodiversity Conservation

India Smart Utility Week (ISUW 2021)

ICLEI World Congress 2021

ICLEI South Asia Secretariat

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