ICLEI South Asia - October 2020

ICLEI South Asia E-News

October 2020

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

Dear readers,

The world is entering a new era of climate solutions and sustainable growth mechanisms, and we have been chronicling our initiatives in this direction in our newsletter.

Kochi recently became one of the few cities in India to have a City Biodiversity Index (CBI) and an Illustrated Natural Asset map, both of which we helped to prepare under the INTERACT-Bio project. The CBI will help to mainstream biodiversity conservation into urban planning, while the attractive map will communicate the significance of urban biodiversity to the common man.

In support of advancing a circular economy, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has approved the plastic waste management strategy and action plan document that we have helped to draft. We are also supporting Bangladesh in preparing a draft national policy brief on integration of local urban resilience plans in national planning processes under the CDKN project.

There are also reports in this edition on our Building Energy Accelerator project, which has concluded with all its deliverables having been completed, and on the positive impact of an intervention we made in Udaipur under the Urban95 programme.

I hope you enjoy reading this edition.

Data Analysis Shows Positive Impact of Urban95 Intervention in Udaipur Community Area

ICLEI South Asia had implemented a tactical intervention under the Urban95 programme in Udaipur in December 2019, to provide opportunities to young children and their caregivers to engage in vibrant surroundings. Following its implementation, the ICLEI South Asia team studied and documented the impact of the tactical intervention based on comparative sample user counts, photo and video documentation, and surveys. A before-and-after study of the data shows an increase in the footfall of the primary target audience.

BEA Project Concludes in Nagpur, Provides Blueprint for Boosting Energy Efficiency

The Building Efficiency Accelerator (BEA) project in Nagpur ended recently, with the city having successfully completed the energy efficiency activities and pilots envisaged under this targeted technical support that spanned more than 20 months. Several knowledge products have been developed on Nagpur’s leadership and actions to advance building energy efficiency for the benefit of other cities and stakeholders at the local and regional levels.

Kochi Puts Illustrated Natural Asset Map on Display at Key Locations

Hon’ble Mayor Mrs. Soumini Jain released the Illustrated Natural Asset Map of Kochi, developed by ICLEI South Asia under the INTERACT-Bio project. The INTERACT-Bio project is funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). The attractive map is on display at two locations – in front of the office of the Mayor in the Kochi Municipal Corporation building, and at Subhash Bose Park – and will also be installed at Nehru Park in Fort Kochi.

ALP Webinar: How Benchmarking Saves Energy in Buildings

The Asia LEDS Partnership (ALP), hosted by ICLEI South Asia in partnership with other ICLEI regional offices in Asia, organised a webinar on ‘Energy Benchmarking to Realise Improved Energy Efficiency in Buildings’. This was the fourth in a series of webinars organised under the Building Energy Efficiency (BEE) Community of Practice (CoP).

Kochi Develops its City Biodiversity Index

Kochi has become one of the few cities in India to have a City Biodiversity Index (CBI), after Hon’ble Mayor Mrs. Soumini Jain released the CBI report. The city has secured a robust score, following an evaluation of 23 indicators in the index. Kochi’s CBI shows that it has a large number of native species, especially in the backwaters. Though the city is biodiverse, it faces several challenges being posed by increasing urbanisation and population growth.

GHMC Approves New Plastic Waste Management Strategy Document

The strategy document ‘Enhancing Circular Economy Perspectives – Plastic Waste Management Strategy and Action Plan for Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’ has been finalised and approved by the city. The Municipal Commissioner, GHMC, acknowledged the support of the Institute for Global Environment Strategies (IGES), along with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on Environmental Technologies (CCET), Japan, and ICLEI South Asia for preparing the strategy document, which will act as a guide to ensure holistic management of plastic waste in Hyderabad.

CDKN Policy Briefs, Flyers Address Key Adaptation Issues in South Asia

As part of the CDKN project in South Asia, knowledge products on adaption practices have been developed in Bangladesh and Nepal. There were some interesting webinars and virtual trainings under the project. Meanwhile, the draft national policy brief on ‘Local Urban Resilience Plans Using Climate Adaptation Indicators: Development and Integration in National Planning Processes’ has been shared with national and individual experts for review and comments.

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 event, hosted by Malmö, Sweden, 12-16 April 2021, from the comfort of your own home or office. The ICLEI World Congress 2021 is all online.

ICLEI South Asia E-News

October 2020

Data Analysis Shows Positive Impact of Urban95 Intervention in Udaipur Community Area

BEA Project Concludes in Nagpur, Provides Blueprint for Boosting Energy Efficiency

Kochi Puts Illustrated Natural Asset Map on Display at Key Locations

ALP Webinar: How Benchmarking Saves Energy in Buildings

Kochi Develops its City Biodiversity Index

GHMC Approves New Plastic Waste Management Strategy Document

CDKN Policy Briefs, Flyers Address Key Adaptation Issues in South Asia

ICLEI World Congress 2021

ICLEI South Asia Secretariat

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