Ahead of COP 31 in Antalya, the role of states and cities in translating national climate commitments into action has emerged as a key focus.
In this context, the Madhya Pradesh Council of Science and Technology (MPCST) convened the third Pre-COP 31 Consultation on “Living the Right Way – Strengthening Synergy Between Climate and Sustainable Development and Enhancing State’s Role in Achieving National Commitments” on 1 October 2026 at MPCST, Bhopal. The consultation, attended by more than 200 officials from the Government of Madhya Pradesh and other states, was organised together with Madhya Pradesh Rajya NITI Aayog, Environmental Planning & Coordination Organisation (EPCO), Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Good Governance and Policy Analysis (AIGGPA), and civil society organisations.
Speaking at the session ‘State’s Role in Achieving National Commitments and Financing the Transition’, Mr Keshav Jha, Senior Manager, ICLEI South Asia, presented a set of tools and resources for cities in Madhya Pradesh to align their development priorities with national climate commitments while safeguarding livelihoods, infrastructure, and economic progress. He highlighted how the Net-Zero ClimateResilientCITIES methodology can be a systematic and scientific process for strengthening low-carbon and climate-resilient development in Madhya Pradesh.
Further, Mr Jha presented GHG inventories, climate risk assessments, Climate Action Plans, Climate Investment Plans, climate budget tagging, and institutional Net-Zero Cells as practical ways to translate national climate pledges into local net-zero paths.
He also emphasised building a pipeline of investment-ready urban sector projects, and mentioned support available from the Climate Projects Preparation Facility (CPPF), the GAP Fund, and ICLEI’s Transformative Actions Program (TAP) for preparing concept and project proposals.
ICLEI South Asia has assisted Madhya Pradesh through the Madhya Pradesh Urban Development Project (MPUDP) II by conducting state-level climate risk assessments, producing City Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) Guidelines for 22 small and medium ULBs, and developing methods for natural solutions, green infrastructure, and sustainable climate finance. Previously, ICLEI South Asia also contributed to the mitigation component for the waste sector of the revised State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) in line with India’s Nationally Determined Contributions.
