In India’s northern state of Himachal Pradesh, along the rugged Himalayan terrain lie the high-altitude districts of Lahaul and Spiti. With elevations ranging from 10,000 to 14,500 feet, it is one of India’s most breathtakingly beautiful and environmentally fragile regions, characterised by its cold desert climate, glacial terrain, and unique cultural heritage, and is increasingly […]

Gujarat Leads the way in Community-Centric Climate Resilience Planning ICLEI South Asia conducted three workshops between 30 April to 3 May 2025  in Ahmedabad and Surat under the project “Assessing and Managing Loss and Damage: Local-level evidence to inform global-level action in Gujarat State, India.” Funded by the United Nations Environment Programme Copenhagen Climate Centre […]

On 19 February 2025, a meeting was held with State Executive Councillor for Infrastructure and Transport, Penang State Government, Zairil Khir Johari, along with representatives from ICLEI South Asia, the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle Joint Business Council (IMT-GT JBC), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). During the meeting, the Penang Island Green City Action Plan (GCAP) […]

Two important Sri Lankan cities, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, are working to improve their climate resilience as part of the third phase of the Climate and Development Knowledge Network’s (CDKN) Accelerating Inclusive Action Programme. The Federation of Sri Lankan Local Government Authorities (FSLGA) has teamed up with ICLEI South Asia to create Climate Adaptation Plans […]

Gangles, a ward in Leh – the joint capital of Ladakh, India – is located at approximately 11,000 feet and is one of the coldest locations in the city. It is mainly rural in character with agriculture as the primary occupation. The terrain is uneven and households are dispersed. Ensuring an adequate water supply during winters […]

By Damini Rathore    Alappuzha, in the Indian state of Kerala, is well known for its picturesque canals, lagoons and backwaters. However, even this verdant area has not remained untouched by environmental degradation, with vulnerable communities bearing the brunt. Municipal Colony in Chathanad, Alappuzha, is a community of former sanitation workers who were involved in […]

Webinar on Climate Change Impacts and Usage of Public Spaces by Young Children and Caregivers in Indian Cities Insights and Actions for Climate Resilience and Inclusive Public Spaces ICLEI South Asia is organising a webinar from 11 am to 12.30 pm (IST) on February 28, 2024, to disseminate invaluable insights garnered from two first-of-their-kind studies […]

In India, young children (especially in the under-five age group) and their caregivers are becoming increasingly vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change and air pollution, particularly in urban areas.  To better understand these challenges and their impact on the public space usage by this demographic, ICLEI South Asia conducted two studies supported by […]

ICLEI South Asia and the Municipal Association of Bangladesh (MAB) held an online inception meeting with officials from Bangladesh’s Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat municipalities on December 12, 2023, about the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) Phase 3 programme’s background and scope of work. ICLEI South Asia made a presentation on the CDKN programme, its expected […]

ICLEI South Asia successfully concluded the Climate Resilient Inclusive Smart Cities (CRISC) Project in September 2023, with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implementation support from GIZ Bangladesh. The programme successfully fulfilled its objectives that aimed to enhance capacities and awareness in local government institutions regarding climate-inclusive and […]

The stage was set in New Delhi from September 25 to 28, 2023 at Hyatt Regency for a groundbreaking event that promises to shape the future of cities across Asia. The inaugural UrbanShift Forum (Asia), an initiative with the potential to turn urban areas into vibrant hubs of opportunity, brought together visionaries, policymakers, and experts […]

The fifth and final capacity-building workshop under the second phase of the Urban95 programme, supported by the Bernard van Leer Foundation, was held on August 17, 2023 in Udaipur, focusing on the issues of scalability and sustainability in projects. Ninety representatives and officials from the government, the private sector, NGOs and academia, among others, participated […]

The fourth capacity-building workshop, under the Bernard van Leer Foundation-funded Urban95 programme phase 2 in Udaipur, put focus on the importance of on-ground implementation and post-implementation impact assessment in a project cycle. The workshop, held in Udaipur on 14 July 2023, is part of a series of five workshops that aims to help the city […]

In a remarkable showcase of environmental commitment, the Udaipur Municipal Corporation (UMC) organised ‘Climate Week’, to mark World Environment Day (WED) as well as Mission LiFE, an India-led global mass movement to nudge individual and community action for environmental conservation. The Climate Week, supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) funded CapaCITIES […]

The Konrad Adenauer Sharing Political and Civic Engagements Space (KASpaces) Workshop Series on Sustainable Cities and Resilient Communities recently concluded in three cities across Bhutan from May 15 to May 19, 2023, marking a significant step towards fostering sustainable development and building resilient communities. Organised by the KASpaces and ICLEI South Asia, with support from […]

The third capacity building workshop (CBW), under the Urban95 programme Phase-2, was held on the 2nd  of May 2023 in Udaipur. The workshop was part of a series of five workshops that aim to impart understanding of the entire project cycle from inception and on-ground implementation to its long- term sustainability and replicability from an […]

ICLEI South Asia, organised a training session on April 17, 2023, in Meerut Municipal Corporation, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh to help the city officials and other stakeholders understand the influence of transportation emissions and road dust on air pollution. As per the discussions with Meerut Municipal Corporation officials, the traffic situation at Hapur Adda Chowk has […]

ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, South Asia; ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, Southeast Asia; IMT-GT Joint Business Council (JBC) Malaysia along with support from the Asian Development Bank have begun the implementation of the Green City Action Plan (GCAP) subproject 1 in the Malaysian cities of Penang, Langkawi, Kota Bharu and Kuching. The project focuses […]

The Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) programme organised a three-day intensive implementation workshop from the 6th to the 8th of March 2023, in Cape Town, South Africa. All partners and donors of the programme attended the workshop, which focused on highlighting the work plan for each region, namely Africa, Latin America and South Asia, […]

ICLEI South Asia organised Regional Scoping Workshops titled “Understanding Regional Needs and Priorities for India, Nepal, and Bangladesh” on the 3rd, 16th, and 28th of February 2023, respectively, in collaboration with local knowledge partners and stakeholders. The webinars were organised as part of the IDRC and DGIS supported CDKN – Accelerating Inclusive Action project to […]

The second capacity building workshop under the Urban95 programme Phase 2 was held on the 15th of February 2023 in Udaipur. Organised by the Urban95 Project Management Unit (a joint venture between ICLEI South Asia and Ecorys India Pvt. Ltd.) with support from Udaipur Municipal Corporation (UMC) in collaboration Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF), the […]

With just seven years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, it has become imperative for member countries of the United Nations to rev up their on-ground actions. To this end, ICLEI South Asia organised a series of capacity-building workshops in the cities of Satkhira and Sirajganj in Bangladesh in January and February 2023, to […]

ICLEI South Asia is conducting two independent studies on the Impact of Climate Change on Young Children (0-5 years) and Usage of Public Spaces by Young Children, Their Caregivers, and Pregnant Women in Indian Cities, in partnership with technical institutions and research organisations, and with support from the Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF). The studies […]

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has launched the Sustainable Cities Impact Programme with the brand name UrbanShift, which is supporting 23 cities in nine countries, including three primary cities – Chennai, Pune, and Surat – and three secondary cities in India for participating in the GEF-7 financing round (2018-2022). To achieve sustained and effective action […]

Two training sessions were organised in the Delhi -National Capital Region recently for sanitation workers and waste pickers, as part of the project Building City leadership on clean air action in Delhi NCR, supported by the Clean Air Fund. The first technical training session was organised for about 100 waste pickers and drivers of Ecogreen, […]

Goods vehicles, largely diesel-run, have been causing a significant amount of traffic congestion and emissions in Kochi city, while making last-mile deliveries to shops, offices and hotels, besides other commercial establishments. Now, the city is set for an important transformation, driven by a growing transition from internal combustion engine-operated cargo three-wheelers to electric vehicles. A […]

Behavior change, capacity building, improved waste infrastructures, and stricter policy implementation—these are just some of the key actions that can help Iloilo City, Philippines; Jambi City, Indonesia; and Iskandar, Malaysia better address their plastic waste problem.  Over 90 waste sector stakeholders across the three Southeast Asian local governments arrived at these insights during the consultation […]

ICLEI South Asia organised consultation workshops for the Municipal Corporations of Delhi and Meerut on the 28th June and 29th of June respectively, to help them enhance green cover to reduce air pollution and to support the two cities breathe clean air. Organised under the Building City Leadership on Clean Air Action project, supported by […]

Jambi city, is the capital and the largest city in the province of Jambi, Indonesia. With a population of approximately 6 million, the city generates around 430-500 tonnes of waste per day out of which 13 to 19% comprises plastic waste. Scientific management of this plastic waste is a major challenge for the city government. […]

Training workshops in Sirajganj and Satkhira address key challenges and good practices. ICLEI South Asia conducted a series of capacity-building workshops from the 14th to 16th of March 2022 in Sirajganj, and from the 21st to the 23rd of March in Satkhira. These sessions are a part of the Climate Resilient Inclusive Smart Cities (CRISC) […]

Globalization and the web market are leading to exponential growth in goods movement, specifically in cities. In India, urban freight is an essential component of efficient economic and social development and contributes 10% to 13% of the national GDP. However, the sector is also a major contributor (14%) to the energy sector’s GHG emissions in […]

ICLEI South Asia, in collaboration with the Jammu & Kashmir Biodiversity Council, has initiated the development of the City Biodiversity Index and Local Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans for the cities of Jammu and Srinagar. The development of the City Biodiversity Index is supported by UNDP through the SECURE Himalaya project and the development of the LBSAPs […]

A stakeholder workshop to discuss the baseline and potential strategies for improving plastic waste management was conducted on 11th March 2019 in Hyderabad. ICLEI South Asia is providing technical assistance to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to assess the baseline and prepare a plastic waste management strategy. This is in partnership with IGES – […]

It has become clearly evident that in the post-COVID world, we would have to evolve our understanding and perspective about cities and urban services. There should be no doubt that local governments as well as State and National Governments need to find robust and resilient developmental models through cross-learning from peers. The answer could be […]

It has become clearly evident that in the post-COVID world, we would have to evolve our understanding and perspective about cities and urban services. There should be no doubt that local governments as well as State and National Governments need to find robust and resilient developmental models through cross-learning from peers. The answer could be […]

ollowing the imposition of a national lockdown in Bangladesh on March 24, to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Singra municipality has taken several initiatives for the people’s benefit. Leaflets are being used to spread awareness on the importance of staying at home, washing hands frequently and wearing masks. The municipality is also […]