Examples from South Asia contribute to success of Resilient Cities

04 June 2013

 

Integrated solutions was the answer at “Resilient Cities 2013 – the 4th Global Forum on Urban Resilience and Adaptation”. How should cities move towards adaptation and resilience to climate change was the question…

If you love your grandchildren, hug them now and embrace our planet now. The global negotiations of the next three years related to climate, biodiversity, disaster risk reduction and universal sustainable development goals will determine the fate of our planet. Be a catalyst of change! We can make the change but it has to be bottom-up” said David Cadman, President of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability.

Every year, since 2009, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, with the City of Bonn, and other partners has been organizing the Resilient Cities congress in Bonn, Germany. The Congress brings together local government leaders and climate adaptation experts from around the world. The Congress serves as the meeting ground for innovative ideas, strategies for resilient urban planning and knowledge sharing. Sessions and forums were convened with the support of the IDRC, Rockefeller Foundation and Siemens. Resilient Cities 2013, that took place on 31 May – 2 June, saw 528 participants, in which there were 117 local government representatives from 60 cities.

ICLEI South Asia and its representatives considerably contributed to the wealth of examples and experiences shared during the event; with a delegation of seven people, representing the cities of Shimla, Cochin and Rajkot (India), Kathmandu (Nepal), Matale (Sri Lanka) and Barisal (Bangladesh) as well as the Indian National Institute of Urban Affairs, and through several contributions to the programme, ICLEI South Asia could showcase the intense work being carried out in the field of adaptation in the South Asia region.

Mayor Chammany, from Cochin, presented his city involvement and progress in adapting to climate change, in the framework of the AsianCitiesAdapt project, in the session “Taking the right decisions under uncertainty: What do Local Governments do?”, while Mr Adhikari, Executive Officer of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Nepal, spoke about “Promoting productive use of built-up space in Kathmandu Metropolitan City” at the Urban Food Systems Forum.

Staff from ICLEI South Asia office presented and discussed current tools and strategies for cities to deal with climate change, including the ACCCRN process toolkit (in the session “Building resilience for the urban poor in Asia: Spotlight on ACCCRN” and in “Enabling local action on adaptation: Planning and policy tools and frameworks”), the adaptive cycle (in “Living in low-income urban settlements in an era of climate change”) and the Urban Vulnerability Assessments carried out in Barisal and Panjim, together with Mr Rahman, Chief Health Officer from Barisal City Corporation, Bangladesh (in “Urban vulnerability assessment in South Asia: challenges and lessons learnt”).

The highlight for the South Asia delegation was the signing, from the cities of Shimla, Cochin, Kathmandu and Matale (thus joining Barisal, who signed in December 2012), of the Durban Adaptation Charter (Read more)

Those who could not make it to Bonn can still find an extensive report of the conference through its website and daily blogs, with highlights from Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3 of the event. The conference presentations and pictures will also be uploaded soon.

Examples from South Asia contribute to success of Resilient Cities
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