Archives
ICLEI Asia supports Asia BRTS initiative
11.09.12
ICLEI Asia, in collaboration with Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, Janamarg, CEPT Universityand other partners, organised the first ever Asia Bus Rapid Transit Systems (BRTS) conference in Ahmedabad, Gujarat from 6-8 September 2012 to exchange city experiences on BRTS planning, implementation and operations processes. 14 participating cities signed a treaty on forming an India BRTS association, which will act as a body of consolidated support and cooperation involving all Indian BRT projects and may include other Asian cities later. Read more
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Training held in Delhi for SUNYA's local project coordinators
10.09.12
ICLEI South Asia hosted a four-day training workshop on sustainable solid waste management in Delhi, India from 28 August to 31 August for SUNYA local project coordinators. Inaugurating the workshop, Mr Farhad Suri, former mayor and present Leader of the Opposition of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, stated that rag pickers play an important role in the solid waste management of Delhi and urged smaller cities to look for possible opportunities to formalize and integrate the informal sector. Read more
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Member city Coimbatore wins best corporation award
16.08.12
The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation was awarded best corporation yesterday with Chief Minister Jayalalithaa presenting the award and cash prize of Rs. 25 lakhs to mayor S.M. Velusamy and commissioner T.K. Ponnusamy at Independence Day celebrations held in Chennai. Coimbatore competed against nine other corporations in the state, including Chennai and Madurai. The award was in recognition of the achievements the Corporation made in tax collection, education, solid waste management, health etc. Read more
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India-specific GHG protocol drafted
14.08.12
Supported by the British High Commission, ICLEI South Asia is working on a project which, over two years, seeks to build low carbon cities by developing appropriate low carbon guidelines for two Indian states, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. A significant component of this project, an India-specific GHG protocol to guide low carbon action, has recently been drafted based on the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions released in May. ________________________________________________
Second stakeholder meeting planned in Kochi to identify fragile urban systems
14.08.12
The second stakeholder and city corporation meeting in Kochi under the AsianCitiesAdapt project is currently on (13 -14 August) and is being held to evaluate progress made and pave the way forward. The main agenda will be to identify fragile urban systems in Kochi on the basis of climatic projections made my IIT Delhi. This falls in line with the project’s focus on bringing science and policy makers together in the search for local adaptation strategies.
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Training of Trainers to help South Asian cities move towards zero waste
14.08.12
The Municipal Association of Nepal (MuAN) and ICLEI South Asia with support from the European Union recently initiated SUNYA – Towards Zero Waste in South Asia, a project intended to promote the concept of zero waste in all partner cities. Towards this, a training programme (Training of Trainers) for all project coordinators will be held in New Delhi from 27 to 31 August, 2012. The training programme will include brainstorming sessions on appropriate solid waste management with a focus on the segregation of waste and the role of rag pickers in the process, and will rope in field visits on good practices of recycling, reuse and solid waste disposal. Read more
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Activities for Cities for Life get underway
14.08.12
Gearing up for the city and sub-national biodiversity summit to be held parallel to the 11th Conference of Parties on the Convention on Biological Diversity on 15 and 16 October in Hyderabad, a CBD Secretariat has been set up exclusively for the summit. In partnership with the Secretariat of the CBD, the government of India, the government of Andhra Pradesh and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, ICLEI is organising this event under the theme Cities for Life.
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Ahmedabad to host Asia BRTS conference in September
09.08.12
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, the Centre of Excellence in Urban Transport, CEPT University and ICLEI Asia are pleased to invite cities to participate in the first ever Asia Bus Rapid Transit Systems (BRTS) conference to be held in Ahmedabad, Gujarat from 6-8 September 2012 to exchange city experiences on BRTS planning, implementation and operations processes; and to discuss the establishment of an international association of Asian BRTS cities to serve as a body of consolidated support and cooperation. Ahmedabad has successfully implemented a city-level BRTS and wishes to share its experiences with interested cities in Asia. The conference calls out to Asian cities in the process of visioning, planning or implementing BRTS or those with existing BRT systems. City representatives wishing to participate may write to ashish.rao-ghorpade@iclei.org. Conference brochure
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Inviting city mayors to participate in ecomobility workshop in Korea
09.08.12
The city of Changwon and ICLEI would like to invite city representatives to participate in the upcoming event being held under the Ecomobility Alliance, Creating Liveable Cities through Public Spaces and Transport in Changwon, Republic of Korea on 18-23 November 2012. This workshop will be an opportunity to explore projects and innovations in the field of EcoMobility within the context of the host city’s own case story: Changwon’s achievements and challenges. This event will also provide an opportunity for cities to share experiences. The EcoMobility Alliance is a network of ambitious cities led by innovators and visionaries, supported by experts and businesses, aiming to become international frontrunners in EcoMobility. For more information, please contact Ashish Rao Ghorpade at ashish.rao-ghorpade@iclei.org
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Pakistan unveils sustainable development strategy
07.08.12
Pakistan’s new national sustainable development strategy (NSDS) boasts a ‘green action agenda’ and proposes to set up a knowledge management system that is based on science, technology and innovation. The strategy document, presented at a side-event at the Rio+20 summit last month (22 June), is linked with the country’s climate adaptation strategies. Read more
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Partners of DReAMS meet in Thimphu to chart out future activities
03.08.12
All project partners involved in the EU-funded Realising DReAMS project met at the third project meeting from 3-6 July in Thimphu, Bhutan. The meeting was held to discuss project timelines and break down the activities each country was involved in. The meeting helped to bring partners up-to-date on the status of the project and to make informed decisions on how best to plan future steps. Read more
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ICLEI Global Executive Committee inagurated
31.07.12
The Global Executive Committee at its first meeting unanimously agreed to extend the term of office of the current President, Mr. David Cadman, and Vice President, Ms. Martha Delgado Peralta until the annual Global Executive Committee meeting in October 2012. The committee members agree that the importance of the role of both representatives at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) is not to be underestimated and ICLEI must maintain a seamless transition from the World Congress to the Rio negotiations to remain a relevant voice for local governments. ICLEI Global Exectuve Committee members
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5th Local Renewables conference in Freiburg this October
31.07.12
This year’s Local Renewables conference, themed Cities and regions explore smart grids and smart solutions will be held in Freidburg from 25-26 October 2012. The conference will discuss one of the hottest innovations designed to reduce carbon emissions: smart grids. The event will focus on the political framework for smart grids from a European and regional perspective, cutting-edge technologies, financing models and more. For more information
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Inviting Expressions of Interest for Earth Hour City Challenge
25.07.12
ICLEI South Asia is inviting Expressions of Interest to Earth Hour City Challenge (EHCC) – a global initiative by WWF and ICLEI- designed to encourage cities to present their plans for low carbon development and for increasing the use of sustainable, renewable and efficient energy in the future. Italy, US, Canada, Norway and Sweden are also participating in this event. Seven cities will be selected and of these, one city in each country will win the EHCC. For more information
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ICLEI USA launches Green Business Challenge app
18.07.12
ICLEI USA has launched its Green Business Challenge app – a customizable web application that encourages businesses and commercial property owners to save energy, water and waste through a year-long competition. The app is open to all local governments, schools and corporations. What is the Green Business Challenge and how could it work for you?
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City and sub-national biodoversity summit on the sidelines of CBD Cop 11
17.07.12
In partnership with the government of India and the Convention on Biological Diversity secretariat, ICLEI is organising a city and sub-national biodiversity summit parallel to the 11th Conference of Parties on the Convention on Biological Diversity. Under the theme ‘Cities for Life’, this event will be held on 15 and 16 October in Hyderabad, India.
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Inviting Expressions of Interest from Cities for 'Ecomobility Readiness Assessment Project: Are Cities in India Prepared for Sustainable Transport Initiatives?'
17.07.12
ICLEI South Asia is inviting Expressions of Interest from Indian cities to be included in a 20-city assessment study funded by the Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation. The assessment seeks to review the strengths and gaps at the local government level in terms of policy, capacity, resources, awareness and willingness to implement ecomobility/NMT projects in order to check readiness/preparedness to take action and support strengthening/ augmentation of the same. The study is being supported by the Institute of Urban Transport, and includes iTrans Private Limited and the Indian Heritage Cities Network Foundation as partners.
Last date for application: 21 July 2012
Interested cities can contact Ashish Rao Ghorpade at ashish.rao-ghorpade@iclei.org for more information.
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At the ICLEI World Congress and Rio +20: Urban sustainability is the way forward, say local governments across South Asia
11.07.12
Representing cities with diverse development needs, one point that underlay South Asian cities' experiences shared at ICLEI's World Congress and Rio +20 was that city goverments could well be the drivers of change, for their cities and beyond. RA Rajeev from Thane mentioned at the ICLEI World Congress that Indian cities are embracing renewable energy and energy efficiency and MT Krishna Babu from Hyderabad, in the same vein, highlighted that the ones best suited to implement development initiatives are local governments as they are “closest to the people, and are both responsive and accountable.” Read more
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ICLEI South Asia's Regional Executive Committee elected
ICLEI South Asia’s Regional Executive Committee (REXCom) elected for the 2012–2015 term includes two advisors, and five members with individual portfolios: Mohamed Hilmy, mayor of the Municpal Council, Matale, Sri Lanka; A.H.M. Khairuzzaman (Liton) mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation, Bangladesh; Kinlay Dorjee, mayor of Thimphu City Corporation, Bhutan; and SM Velusamy, mayor of Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation, India were elected as members with individual portfolios. REXCom members will be called upon to drive, promote and represent their portfolios on behalf of ICLEI South Asia.
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Rajshahi wins National Environment Award 2012
08.07.12
The city of Rajshahi recently received this year’s National Environment Award. The prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina handed the award to A.H.M. Khairuzzaman, the mayor of Rajshahi, lauding the Rajshahi City Corporation’s efforts in making the city green. The corporation started collecting garbage from house to house in July 2009, bringing about a change in traditional garbage collecting systems. The mayor announced that a plan to use urban waste to produce gas, electricity and compost is also in the pipeline.
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South-south cooperation through REEEP
Project meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa
06.07.2012
Representatives of ICLEI South Asia and ICLEI Africa attended the REEEP project meetings in Johannesburg from 3-4 July 2012. Under Call 8 of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) programme, ICLEI South Asia is leading a funded project titled South-south Cooperation between cities in India, Indonesia and South Africa’ in partnership with ICLEI Africa and ICLEI South East Asia. Read more
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ICLEI SA on financing low carbon action
03.07.12
On 15 May, during Resilient Cities 2012 in Bonn, ICLEI South Asia’s Executive Director Emani Kumar spoke on opportunities available for the leveraging of finance for low carbon action in India. A month later, on 16 June in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, he spoke again on Financing opportunities for Indian cities under the theme of Financing low carbon and climate resilient action at the ICLEI World Congress 2012.
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Guntur Commissioner on ICLEI's World Congress
as reported in The Hindu
26.06.12
Sustainable development is key to the economic growth of the city, Municipal Commissioner K. Sudhakar says, upon returning from the ICLEI World Congress at Belo Horizonte, Brazil where more than 1,400 civic heads around the world discussed strategies to various global challenges emerging out of rapid urbanisation, environmental degradation and population growth. Full story
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ICLEI and partners launch Global Initiative on Urban Resilience
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability and partners unveiled a new initiative that will catalyze urban resilience action worldwide at the Rio+20 Global Town Hall today. The Global Initiative on Urban Resilience (GIUR) bolsters disaster resilience - one of the hallmark themes of Rio +20. Read more
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ICLEI president David Cadman's opening statement in Rio
22.06.2012
I am very honored to stand before you at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, the Rio+20 Summit, and to speak on behalf of the Local Authorities Major Group and its co-organising partners UCLG, NRG4SD and ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability. This century will see a global, unprecedented urbanization development. Indeed, in the next 40 years, the projected expansion of urban capacity with 3 billion citizens is equivalent to that which has occurred over the last 4000 years until now. Read statement
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Jerusalem at ICLEI World Congress
21.06.2012
The city of Jerusalem, a long-time member of the ICLEI global network of local governments, attended the ICLEI World Congress in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. 1,400 delegates representing 1,200 cities from all around the world convened at ICLEI with the goal of preparing a joint call for action which emphasizes the strategic role of cities in the effort to achieve global sustainability. This call for action will be presented to the parties at the Rio+20 World Summit (United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development), in Rio de Janeiro on June 20-22, 2012. For more
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ICLEI’s RIO + 20 Global Town Hall kicks off today
19.06.2012
Making room for local visions and solutions, ICLEI is organising a Rio+20 Global Town Hall on the sidelines of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development from 18-22 June. This will be the key venue at Rio+20 to discuss a sustainable future for the world’s cities.
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ICLEI World Congress ends with a powerful message to take to Rio+20
19.06.2012
Presentations and experiences of cities from around the world at the ICLEI World Congress 2012 proved that in the last 20 years local advances in implementing sustainable policies were more meaningful than those at the global level. Local governments should be recognized for their role in policy implementation. This is the basic premise of the Message from the Congress to the Rio+20, approved this Sunday in Belo Horizonte, where ICLEI held its largest World Congress. Read more
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Best practice guide on biodiversity for local governments
19.06.2012
A new best practice guide was published last month by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and ICLEI, outlining the tools, standards and infrastructure available to governments for publishing data on biodiversity. Urban planning procedures — such as environmental impact assessments — routinely collect biodiversity data, but subsequently make little use of it. The new GBIF and ICLEI guide aims to explain how local governments can tap into this large pool of biodiversity information and store it most effectively.
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Cities for a green urban economy
18.06.2012
In yesterday’s closing session of the ICLEI World Congress, panelists debated on how cities could assume leadership in turning their urban economy green. Green, inclusive urban economies based on cradle-to-cradle material cycles will have positive impacts to cities. Sustainable procurement will drive the market green, create green jobs, and support future-oriented industries. Read more
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UNEP and ICLEI release environment report for local authorities worldwide
18.06.2012
The ICLEI World Congress closed on an energetic note with the release of a report consolidating transformative and inspiring policies by cities and local governments towards creating a sustainable 21st century. Global Environment Outlook 5 (GEO-5) for Local Government: solving global problems locally was released by ICLEI – Local Government for Sustainability and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The report cites dozens of policies, from Cap and Trade systems in Tokyo to environmental management in Windhoek, Namibia, that show transformative action at a local level can feed into global goals and slow or halt environmental degradation. For more
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Cities to meet for biodiversity on the sidelines of the 11th COP
18.06.2012
As the ICLEI World Congress drew to a close yesterday, the commissioner of Hyderabad, M.T. Krishna Babu, announced that the City and Sub-national Biodiversity Summit will be organised in parallel to the eleventh Conference of Parties on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 11) in October 2012. Under the theme ‘Cities for Life’, this event will be held on 15 and 16 October in Hyderabad, India. Watch this space for more information on the upcoming event.
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World's first ecomobility festival in Suwon, South Korea
15.06.2012
The ICLEI World Congress kicked off with the announcement that the world’s first EcoMobility Festival, 1-30 September 2013, will be held in Suwon, South Korea. The EcoMobility Festival is a unique project of ICLEI’s EcoMobility initiative, under our ‘Smart Urban Infrastructure’ agenda. The festival will present car-free urban living by transforming a neighbourhood in Suwon into an ‘ecomobile’ neighborhood, with Suwon’s residents playing an active role in the actual implementation of the project. Read more
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ICLEI World Congress 2012 begins today
14.06.2012
Every three years, ICLEI members and partners gather at an ICLEI World Congress to showcase their actions over the period and discuss strategies for the following years. Today, the ICLEI World Congress, our biggest so far, is being held in Belo Horizonte, Brasil and will deal with the pressing issues facing local governments and urban areas in this unpredictable era of change. For more information and subsequent updates
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ICLEI study examines the past and looks forward to the future of sustainable development
01.06.12
With 21 days to go until Rio+20, ICLEI published the wide-ranging study Local Sustainability 2012. The study takes stock of progress in sustainable development since the original Rio Conference in 1992 and looks to the future, offering a list of recommendations to global leaders. The study looks at how best to set up an international governance framework in terms of sustainable development (one of the key aspects of the Rio+20 Conference).
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Coming together to build low carbon cities
01.06.12
A stakeholder consultation on Integrating Urban Climate Guidelines through Clean Technologies (RE & EE) at the State and City level to build Sustainable Low Carbon Cities was held on 17 May. The meeting, attended by 40 stakeholders, was the first to bring all stakeholders together to discuss the major aims and outputs of the project. The commissioner of Tirunelveli Municipal Corporation was also present.
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Member city Surat to be India's first 'eco city'
31.05.12
As reported in the Times of India [31/5/2012], Surat is one of three cities in the world that has been selected to be part of a demonstration project for "eco city" development by UK-based charity The Ecological Sequestration Trust (TEST). TEST has decided to spend nearly Rs 50 crore over a period of five years to build a sustainable development model that will be more environment-friendly. Full story
11.09.12
ICLEI Asia, in collaboration with Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, Janamarg, CEPT Universityand other partners, organised the first ever Asia Bus Rapid Transit Systems (BRTS) conference in Ahmedabad, Gujarat from 6-8 September 2012 to exchange city experiences on BRTS planning, implementation and operations processes. 14 participating cities signed a treaty on forming an India BRTS association, which will act as a body of consolidated support and cooperation involving all Indian BRT projects and may include other Asian cities later. Read more__________________________________________________
Training held in Delhi for SUNYA's local project coordinators
10.09.12
ICLEI South Asia hosted a four-day training workshop on sustainable solid waste management in Delhi, India from 28 August to 31 August for SUNYA local project coordinators. Inaugurating the workshop, Mr Farhad Suri, former mayor and present Leader of the Opposition of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, stated that rag pickers play an important role in the solid waste management of Delhi and urged smaller cities to look for possible opportunities to formalize and integrate the informal sector. Read more_____________________________________________________________
Member city Coimbatore wins best corporation award
16.08.12
The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation was awarded best corporation yesterday with Chief Minister Jayalalithaa presenting the award and cash prize of Rs. 25 lakhs to mayor S.M. Velusamy and commissioner T.K. Ponnusamy at Independence Day celebrations held in Chennai. Coimbatore competed against nine other corporations in the state, including Chennai and Madurai. The award was in recognition of the achievements the Corporation made in tax collection, education, solid waste management, health etc. Read more________________________________________________
India-specific GHG protocol drafted
14.08.12
Supported by the British High Commission, ICLEI South Asia is working on a project which, over two years, seeks to build low carbon cities by developing appropriate low carbon guidelines for two Indian states, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. A significant component of this project, an India-specific GHG protocol to guide low carbon action, has recently been drafted based on the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions released in May. ________________________________________________Second stakeholder meeting planned in Kochi to identify fragile urban systems
14.08.12
The second stakeholder and city corporation meeting in Kochi under the AsianCitiesAdapt project is currently on (13 -14 August) and is being held to evaluate progress made and pave the way forward. The main agenda will be to identify fragile urban systems in Kochi on the basis of climatic projections made my IIT Delhi. This falls in line with the project’s focus on bringing science and policy makers together in the search for local adaptation strategies. ________________________________________________
Training of Trainers to help South Asian cities move towards zero waste
14.08.12
The Municipal Association of Nepal (MuAN) and ICLEI South Asia with support from the European Union recently initiated SUNYA – Towards Zero Waste in South Asia, a project intended to promote the concept of zero waste in all partner cities. Towards this, a training programme (Training of Trainers) for all project coordinators will be held in New Delhi from 27 to 31 August, 2012. The training programme will include brainstorming sessions on appropriate solid waste management with a focus on the segregation of waste and the role of rag pickers in the process, and will rope in field visits on good practices of recycling, reuse and solid waste disposal. Read more________________________________________________
Activities for Cities for Life get underway
14.08.12
Gearing up for the city and sub-national biodiversity summit to be held parallel to the 11th Conference of Parties on the Convention on Biological Diversity on 15 and 16 October in Hyderabad, a CBD Secretariat has been set up exclusively for the summit. In partnership with the Secretariat of the CBD, the government of India, the government of Andhra Pradesh and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, ICLEI is organising this event under the theme Cities for Life.________________________________________________
Ahmedabad to host Asia BRTS conference in September
09.08.12
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, the Centre of Excellence in Urban Transport, CEPT University and ICLEI Asia are pleased to invite cities to participate in the first ever Asia Bus Rapid Transit Systems (BRTS) conference to be held in Ahmedabad, Gujarat from 6-8 September 2012 to exchange city experiences on BRTS planning, implementation and operations processes; and to discuss the establishment of an international association of Asian BRTS cities to serve as a body of consolidated support and cooperation. Ahmedabad has successfully implemented a city-level BRTS and wishes to share its experiences with interested cities in Asia. The conference calls out to Asian cities in the process of visioning, planning or implementing BRTS or those with existing BRT systems. City representatives wishing to participate may write to ashish.rao-ghorpade@iclei.org. Conference brochure________________________________________________
Inviting city mayors to participate in ecomobility workshop in Korea
09.08.12
The city of Changwon and ICLEI would like to invite city representatives to participate in the upcoming event being held under the Ecomobility Alliance, Creating Liveable Cities through Public Spaces and Transport in Changwon, Republic of Korea on 18-23 November 2012. This workshop will be an opportunity to explore projects and innovations in the field of EcoMobility within the context of the host city’s own case story: Changwon’s achievements and challenges. This event will also provide an opportunity for cities to share experiences. The EcoMobility Alliance is a network of ambitious cities led by innovators and visionaries, supported by experts and businesses, aiming to become international frontrunners in EcoMobility. For more information, please contact Ashish Rao Ghorpade at ashish.rao-ghorpade@iclei.org__________________________________________________
Pakistan unveils sustainable development strategy
07.08.12
Pakistan’s new national sustainable development strategy (NSDS) boasts a ‘green action agenda’ and proposes to set up a knowledge management system that is based on science, technology and innovation. The strategy document, presented at a side-event at the Rio+20 summit last month (22 June), is linked with the country’s climate adaptation strategies. Read more__________________________________________________
Partners of DReAMS meet in Thimphu to chart out future activities
03.08.12
All project partners involved in the EU-funded Realising DReAMS project met at the third project meeting from 3-6 July in Thimphu, Bhutan. The meeting was held to discuss project timelines and break down the activities each country was involved in. The meeting helped to bring partners up-to-date on the status of the project and to make informed decisions on how best to plan future steps. Read more__________________________________________________
ICLEI Global Executive Committee inagurated
31.07.12
The Global Executive Committee at its first meeting unanimously agreed to extend the term of office of the current President, Mr. David Cadman, and Vice President, Ms. Martha Delgado Peralta until the annual Global Executive Committee meeting in October 2012. The committee members agree that the importance of the role of both representatives at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) is not to be underestimated and ICLEI must maintain a seamless transition from the World Congress to the Rio negotiations to remain a relevant voice for local governments. ICLEI Global Exectuve Committee members__________________________________________________
5th Local Renewables conference in Freiburg this October
31.07.12
This year’s Local Renewables conference, themed Cities and regions explore smart grids and smart solutions will be held in Freidburg from 25-26 October 2012. The conference will discuss one of the hottest innovations designed to reduce carbon emissions: smart grids. The event will focus on the political framework for smart grids from a European and regional perspective, cutting-edge technologies, financing models and more. For more information__________________________________________________
Inviting Expressions of Interest for Earth Hour City Challenge
25.07.12
ICLEI South Asia is inviting Expressions of Interest to Earth Hour City Challenge (EHCC) – a global initiative by WWF and ICLEI- designed to encourage cities to present their plans for low carbon development and for increasing the use of sustainable, renewable and efficient energy in the future. Italy, US, Canada, Norway and Sweden are also participating in this event. Seven cities will be selected and of these, one city in each country will win the EHCC. For more information ___________________________________________________
ICLEI USA launches Green Business Challenge app
18.07.12
ICLEI USA has launched its Green Business Challenge app – a customizable web application that encourages businesses and commercial property owners to save energy, water and waste through a year-long competition. The app is open to all local governments, schools and corporations. What is the Green Business Challenge and how could it work for you? ____________________________________________________
City and sub-national biodoversity summit on the sidelines of CBD Cop 11
17.07.12
In partnership with the government of India and the Convention on Biological Diversity secretariat, ICLEI is organising a city and sub-national biodiversity summit parallel to the 11th Conference of Parties on the Convention on Biological Diversity. Under the theme ‘Cities for Life’, this event will be held on 15 and 16 October in Hyderabad, India.____________________________________________________
Inviting Expressions of Interest from Cities for 'Ecomobility Readiness Assessment Project: Are Cities in India Prepared for Sustainable Transport Initiatives?'
17.07.12
ICLEI South Asia is inviting Expressions of Interest from Indian cities to be included in a 20-city assessment study funded by the Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation. The assessment seeks to review the strengths and gaps at the local government level in terms of policy, capacity, resources, awareness and willingness to implement ecomobility/NMT projects in order to check readiness/preparedness to take action and support strengthening/ augmentation of the same. The study is being supported by the Institute of Urban Transport, and includes iTrans Private Limited and the Indian Heritage Cities Network Foundation as partners.
Last date for application: 21 July 2012
Interested cities can contact Ashish Rao Ghorpade at ashish.rao-ghorpade@iclei.org for more information.
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At the ICLEI World Congress and Rio +20: Urban sustainability is the way forward, say local governments across South Asia
11.07.12
Representing cities with diverse development needs, one point that underlay South Asian cities' experiences shared at ICLEI's World Congress and Rio +20 was that city goverments could well be the drivers of change, for their cities and beyond. RA Rajeev from Thane mentioned at the ICLEI World Congress that Indian cities are embracing renewable energy and energy efficiency and MT Krishna Babu from Hyderabad, in the same vein, highlighted that the ones best suited to implement development initiatives are local governments as they are “closest to the people, and are both responsive and accountable.” Read more____________________________________________________
ICLEI South Asia's Regional Executive Committee elected
ICLEI South Asia’s Regional Executive Committee (REXCom) elected for the 2012–2015 term includes two advisors, and five members with individual portfolios: Mohamed Hilmy, mayor of the Municpal Council, Matale, Sri Lanka; A.H.M. Khairuzzaman (Liton) mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation, Bangladesh; Kinlay Dorjee, mayor of Thimphu City Corporation, Bhutan; and SM Velusamy, mayor of Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation, India were elected as members with individual portfolios. REXCom members will be called upon to drive, promote and represent their portfolios on behalf of ICLEI South Asia.
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Rajshahi wins National Environment Award 2012
08.07.12
The city of Rajshahi recently received this year’s National Environment Award. The prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina handed the award to A.H.M. Khairuzzaman, the mayor of Rajshahi, lauding the Rajshahi City Corporation’s efforts in making the city green. The corporation started collecting garbage from house to house in July 2009, bringing about a change in traditional garbage collecting systems. The mayor announced that a plan to use urban waste to produce gas, electricity and compost is also in the pipeline. ____________________________________________________
South-south cooperation through REEEP
Project meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa
06.07.2012
Representatives of ICLEI South Asia and ICLEI Africa attended the REEEP project meetings in Johannesburg from 3-4 July 2012. Under Call 8 of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) programme, ICLEI South Asia is leading a funded project titled South-south Cooperation between cities in India, Indonesia and South Africa’ in partnership with ICLEI Africa and ICLEI South East Asia. Read more____________________________________________________
ICLEI SA on financing low carbon action
03.07.12
On 15 May, during Resilient Cities 2012 in Bonn, ICLEI South Asia’s Executive Director Emani Kumar spoke on opportunities available for the leveraging of finance for low carbon action in India. A month later, on 16 June in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, he spoke again on Financing opportunities for Indian cities under the theme of Financing low carbon and climate resilient action at the ICLEI World Congress 2012. ____________________________________________________________
Guntur Commissioner on ICLEI's World Congress
as reported in The Hindu
26.06.12
Sustainable development is key to the economic growth of the city, Municipal Commissioner K. Sudhakar says, upon returning from the ICLEI World Congress at Belo Horizonte, Brazil where more than 1,400 civic heads around the world discussed strategies to various global challenges emerging out of rapid urbanisation, environmental degradation and population growth. Full story____________________________________________________________
ICLEI and partners launch Global Initiative on Urban Resilience
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability and partners unveiled a new initiative that will catalyze urban resilience action worldwide at the Rio+20 Global Town Hall today. The Global Initiative on Urban Resilience (GIUR) bolsters disaster resilience - one of the hallmark themes of Rio +20. Read more____________________________________________________________
ICLEI president David Cadman's opening statement in Rio
22.06.2012
I am very honored to stand before you at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, the Rio+20 Summit, and to speak on behalf of the Local Authorities Major Group and its co-organising partners UCLG, NRG4SD and ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability. This century will see a global, unprecedented urbanization development. Indeed, in the next 40 years, the projected expansion of urban capacity with 3 billion citizens is equivalent to that which has occurred over the last 4000 years until now. Read statement____________________________________________________________
Jerusalem at ICLEI World Congress
21.06.2012
The city of Jerusalem, a long-time member of the ICLEI global network of local governments, attended the ICLEI World Congress in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. 1,400 delegates representing 1,200 cities from all around the world convened at ICLEI with the goal of preparing a joint call for action which emphasizes the strategic role of cities in the effort to achieve global sustainability. This call for action will be presented to the parties at the Rio+20 World Summit (United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development), in Rio de Janeiro on June 20-22, 2012. For more____________________________________________________________
ICLEI’s RIO + 20 Global Town Hall kicks off today
19.06.2012
Making room for local visions and solutions, ICLEI is organising a Rio+20 Global Town Hall on the sidelines of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development from 18-22 June. This will be the key venue at Rio+20 to discuss a sustainable future for the world’s cities.____________________________________________________________
ICLEI World Congress ends with a powerful message to take to Rio+20
19.06.2012
Presentations and experiences of cities from around the world at the ICLEI World Congress 2012 proved that in the last 20 years local advances in implementing sustainable policies were more meaningful than those at the global level. Local governments should be recognized for their role in policy implementation. This is the basic premise of the Message from the Congress to the Rio+20, approved this Sunday in Belo Horizonte, where ICLEI held its largest World Congress. Read more____________________________________________________________
Best practice guide on biodiversity for local governments
19.06.2012
A new best practice guide was published last month by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and ICLEI, outlining the tools, standards and infrastructure available to governments for publishing data on biodiversity. Urban planning procedures — such as environmental impact assessments — routinely collect biodiversity data, but subsequently make little use of it. The new GBIF and ICLEI guide aims to explain how local governments can tap into this large pool of biodiversity information and store it most effectively. ____________________________________________________________
Cities for a green urban economy
18.06.2012
In yesterday’s closing session of the ICLEI World Congress, panelists debated on how cities could assume leadership in turning their urban economy green. Green, inclusive urban economies based on cradle-to-cradle material cycles will have positive impacts to cities. Sustainable procurement will drive the market green, create green jobs, and support future-oriented industries. Read more____________________________________________________________
UNEP and ICLEI release environment report for local authorities worldwide
18.06.2012
The ICLEI World Congress closed on an energetic note with the release of a report consolidating transformative and inspiring policies by cities and local governments towards creating a sustainable 21st century. Global Environment Outlook 5 (GEO-5) for Local Government: solving global problems locally was released by ICLEI – Local Government for Sustainability and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The report cites dozens of policies, from Cap and Trade systems in Tokyo to environmental management in Windhoek, Namibia, that show transformative action at a local level can feed into global goals and slow or halt environmental degradation. For more____________________________________________________________
Cities to meet for biodiversity on the sidelines of the 11th COP
18.06.2012
As the ICLEI World Congress drew to a close yesterday, the commissioner of Hyderabad, M.T. Krishna Babu, announced that the City and Sub-national Biodiversity Summit will be organised in parallel to the eleventh Conference of Parties on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 11) in October 2012. Under the theme ‘Cities for Life’, this event will be held on 15 and 16 October in Hyderabad, India. Watch this space for more information on the upcoming event. ____________________________________________________________
World's first ecomobility festival in Suwon, South Korea
15.06.2012
The ICLEI World Congress kicked off with the announcement that the world’s first EcoMobility Festival, 1-30 September 2013, will be held in Suwon, South Korea. The EcoMobility Festival is a unique project of ICLEI’s EcoMobility initiative, under our ‘Smart Urban Infrastructure’ agenda. The festival will present car-free urban living by transforming a neighbourhood in Suwon into an ‘ecomobile’ neighborhood, with Suwon’s residents playing an active role in the actual implementation of the project. Read more____________________________________________________________
ICLEI World Congress 2012 begins today
14.06.2012
Every three years, ICLEI members and partners gather at an ICLEI World Congress to showcase their actions over the period and discuss strategies for the following years. Today, the ICLEI World Congress, our biggest so far, is being held in Belo Horizonte, Brasil and will deal with the pressing issues facing local governments and urban areas in this unpredictable era of change. For more information and subsequent updates____________________________________________________________
ICLEI study examines the past and looks forward to the future of sustainable development
01.06.12
With 21 days to go until Rio+20, ICLEI published the wide-ranging study Local Sustainability 2012. The study takes stock of progress in sustainable development since the original Rio Conference in 1992 and looks to the future, offering a list of recommendations to global leaders. The study looks at how best to set up an international governance framework in terms of sustainable development (one of the key aspects of the Rio+20 Conference).____________________________________________________________
Coming together to build low carbon cities
01.06.12
A stakeholder consultation on Integrating Urban Climate Guidelines through Clean Technologies (RE & EE) at the State and City level to build Sustainable Low Carbon Cities was held on 17 May. The meeting, attended by 40 stakeholders, was the first to bring all stakeholders together to discuss the major aims and outputs of the project. The commissioner of Tirunelveli Municipal Corporation was also present. _____________________________________________________
Member city Surat to be India's first 'eco city'
31.05.12
As reported in the Times of India [31/5/2012], Surat is one of three cities in the world that has been selected to be part of a demonstration project for "eco city" development by UK-based charity The Ecological Sequestration Trust (TEST). TEST has decided to spend nearly Rs 50 crore over a period of five years to build a sustainable development model that will be more environment-friendly. Full story
