As a member of the India Cooling Coalition (ICC), ICLEI South Asia participated in the second edition of the ICC Annual Conclave at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi on 16-17 April 2025. A premier forum for leaders and experts in sustainable cooling, ICC Annual Conclave 2025 brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and experts to explore how states can develop their own cooling roadmaps, strengthen institutional capacity, and integrate cooling into urban planning.

Focused on addressing heat stress through sustainable and state-led cooling strategies, including the implementation of the India Cooling Action Plan, the conclave spotlighted how states can develop roadmaps and explore ways in which how India’s national cooling vision can be implemented at the state and city levels.

At the ICC Leader’s Roundtable discussion, Bedoshruti Sadhukhan, Associate Director, ICLEI South Asia, highlighted the urgent need for action on urban heat. She stressed on integrating cooling into urban planning, promoting nature-based solutions, and strengthening systems to protect vulnerable groups. She called for increased funding to support sustainable, climate-resilient cooling initiatives in cities.

Keshav Jha, Senior Manager, ICLEI South Asia, presented ICLEI South Asia’s work on Supporting Urban Cooling Frameworks and Heat Resilience Actions at the Session ‘Building State-Level Leadership and Institutional Capacity for a Heat-Resilient Future’, co-organised by ICLEI South Asia and WRI India. He emphasised the need to prioritise vulnerable groups, highlighted the importance of the application of geospatial data tools for thermal mapping to pinpoint local heat hotspots, and focused on the promotion of nature-based solutions and scalable passive cooling solutions such as cool roofs. He highlighted ICLEI South Asia’s support for developing the Urban Cooling Guidelines for Tamil Nadu and the Urban Cooling Action Plan of Rajkot.

Sai Siddhartha Nandamuri, Deputy Manager, ICLEI South Asia, participated in the Young Leaders’ Panel. He highlighted the need for merging vernacular designs with modern technology to preserve traditional knowledge and to improve on it.  Sai focused on the urgent need to address India’s growing cooling demand, stressed the importance of recognising the youth as leaders, and the urgency of confronting greenwashing in the sector. He emphasised on the creation of stronger ecosystems to support youth innovation and urged policymakers to unlock greater opportunities for youth-led climate action.

Key discussions at the Conclave focused on bridging the skilling gap, unlocking innovative financing mechanisms, and leveraging regulatory frameworks and market incentives to accelerate the adoption of climate-friendly cooling solutions.