A compendium of nature-based solutions (NbS) and a compendium of finance sources to support climate actions in Bangladesh, India and Nepal, developed by ICLEI South Asia under the Climate and Development Knowledge Network-Knowledge Accelerator programme, were released at the UN’s COP27 climate summit at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, recently.

The Nature-based Solutions for Urban Climate Resilience in South Asia: Case Studies from Bangladesh, India and Nepal provides detailed information on the overall approach needed for implementing NbS successfully. These NbS are sustainable solutions that help to reduce vulnerability to the effects of climate change and other environmental threats. The compendium will be useful for governments at all levels, and is intended to support key actors and institutions in planning, implementing, replicating and upscaling NbS. The learnings from each case study detailed in the compendium will also be helpful for practitioners, NGOs, civil society and academics to better understand how to implement NbS projects and programmes. Apart from 15 case studies, an exhaustive list of NbS initiatives in the three countries is also included in the compendium. The compendium was launched during the session Fostering Sustainable Lifestyles through Climate Smart Development and Urban Partnerships – Lessons from India at the India Pavilion in the presence of Robi Redda, Director, SouthSouthNorth (SSN) and Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), Emani Kumar, Deputy Secretary General, ICLEI, Executive Director, ICLEI South Asia, Michal Harari, Deputy Head of the International Cooperation Office at the Embassy of Switzerland in Egypt and other dignitaries.

The Finance Sources and Instruments to Support Climate Action in Bangladesh, India and Nepal compendium gives a comprehensive overview of the available climate finance landscape in the targeted countries in an easy-to-access and simplified manner. The compendium is targeted towards decision-makers, policy-makers and urban practitioners. It outlines the various international, multilateral and bilateral sources of climate finance available, highlights the information on domestic financial resources that the national governments are mobilising and committing to, and identifies various platforms and tools that help to explore finance sources for implementing local-level climate actions. The compendium also identifies challenges faced and provides a set of recommendations to enhance the access, use, and monitoring of climate finance in the three countries. The compendium was launched at the session on Accelerating Implementation of Climate Resilient Development: Lessons from Cities and Subnational Governments of the Global South by Gino Van Begin, Secretary General, ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, Robi Redda, Director, SouthSouthNorth (SSN) and Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), Ladislas Ngendahimana, Secretary General, Rwanda Association of Local Government Authorities (RALGA), Himani Verma, Manager, Global Outreach Unit, National Institute of Urban Affairs and other speakers from the session.