Nearly 70% of urban projects fail at the design and structuring stage, underscoring the importance of project preparation for implementation success. With the Urban Challenge Fund (UCF) under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India now open, this is a crucial moment for cities of all sizes to strengthen their project preparation and pipeline capacity, especially as 50% of project costs will need to be mobilised from the market through loans, bonds, CSR and other financing instruments.
In this context, ICLEI South Asia participated in the Strengthening Cities for All Dissemination Conference on 21-22 April 2026 in New Delhi, convened under Sustainable Urban Development Smart Cities-II (SUDSC II) by MoHUA and GIZ India, with support from the European Union and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The conference brought together national, state, and city stakeholders to advance climate-resilient, gender-inclusive, digitally enabled, and financially sustainable urban development.
On Day 2, ICLEI South Asia led the session on governance and structure of investment projects and the stakeholder mapping exercise, helping city teams think through project organisation, decision-making, institutional roles, and financing models such as Public-Private Partnerships and private sector participation.
The session highlighted how stronger municipal capacity, clearer project structuring, and early planning, can help cities turn project ideas into bankable proposals. ICLEI South Asia shared its experience of supporting 10+ Indian cities in preparing bankable projects, including work on climate budgeting, net-zero, climate and sustainability cells in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu cities, and support for capital investment planning.
The discussion emphasised key project preparation and financing pathways, including the Urban Challenge Fund, the Gap Fund, Climate Projects Preparation Facility (CPPF), and the Transformative Actions Program (TAP) pipeline, all of which can help cities move from concept to implementation.
Through technical assistance, capacity building, and facilitation of access to global and national financing mechanisms, ICLEI South Asia is committed to enable cities to build resilient, inclusive, and future-ready urban systems.
