Description :

In this perspective, the Inclusive City Centre (ICC) of the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) aims to organize an International Webinar on ‘Building Inclusive Digital Infrastructure for Resilient and Sustainable Cities’. The webinar aims to bring national/international experts and thought leaders to present best practices on leveraging digital technologies for the benefit of marginalised and vulnerable communities, especially the urban poor, informal workers and persons with disabilities. Acknowledging the urban plurality in India and ensuring that no one is left behind, panelists will be invited to deliberate on three key topics: 1. How to bridge the digital divide for integration of informal sector in the city value chain? 2. How do we use ODPs to help integrate informal settlements in city development? 3. What are the ways to address inclusion of persons with disabilities through accessible IT and assistive technologies? Objectives: The international webinar aims to: Identify the existing vulnerabilities of marginalized communities regarding digital infrastructure. Bridge the digital divide by mainstreaming the needs of the marginalized communities. Leverage existing digital technologies for the inclusion of the informal sector workers and settlements Identify best case studies and scenarios that can be implemented in cities through participatory methods and contextualization Building the capacities to adopt an inclusive approach to creating a robust and accessible digital infrastructure Facilitating cities to invest in digital infrastructure so that everyone including the most marginalized can access digital services with ease Expected Outcomes: Creating a robust city digital infrastructure that is driven by the needs of the people. Especially the urban poor, the informal workers/families and persons with disabilities Aligning the city’s digital governance with the Sustainable Development Goals. Increase the knowledge and capacities of cities on inclusive digital governance Understanding the key issues and challenges that people from the lower strata of the society, with disabilities and informal sector

Description :

The Smart Solutions Challenge is an initiative of the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and the United Nations in India to address city-level accessibility and inclusion challenges faced by persons with disabilities, women and girls, and the elderly. The initiative is open to all and seeks to leverage crowd-sourced innovative solutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 11 and the New Urban Agenda guided by the ‘Leave No One Behind’ (LNOB) principle in line with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

NIUA and UN in India are looking for innovative ideas, solutions, technologies, products, and business solutions that can help break-down and resolve complex city-level inclusion and accessibility challenges faced by persons with disabilities, women and girls, and the elderly. The Challenge is designed to identify innovative solutions which can be easily adapted or replicated by cities; potential ideas and prototypes that can be incubated; and acknowledge and recognize innovative solutions already implemented within cities in India that are addressing accessibility and inclusion needs of the targeted population.

Description :

The BASIIC programme of National Institute of Urban Affairs, United Nations in India, and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), UK, is organising a 3-day National Conclave with a focus on gender and disability inclusion and accessible urban development in Indian cities from 28th April 2022 to 30th April 2022 at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. The Conclave is supported by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, organisations of persons with disabilities, and technical and knowledge partners. The Conclave aims to provide hands-on guidance through case studies and discussions on covering the full policy cycle from planning to implementation, evaluation, and follow-up mechanisms.The Conclave will bring together policy makers, academia, private sector, thematic experts, implementers to deliberate on city-level accessibility and inclusion challenges, exchange ideas, share technical expertise and knowledge, and contribute to the discourse on Urban Accessibility and Inclusion. The Conclave will deliberate on mainstreaming gender and disability inclusion in the implementation of SDGs, more specifically SDG 11 to ‘make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’ guided by the principle of ‘Leave No One Behind’ and within the broader framework of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) - the event is also an attempt towards encouraging city networks and urban practitioners to adopt accessibility and universal design as strategic priorities for the aspirational vision of India@2047.

• Provide a platform for knowledge sharing, exchange of ideas, experiences, and practical expertise for contributing to and strengthening the policy discourse on inclusive urbanisation.
• Build capacities of participating cities, including facilitating decision-making processes for the advancement of gender transformative and disability-inclusive urban agenda.
• Increase awareness and sensitization on issues and challenges faced by persons with disabilities, women and girls, pregnant and new mothers, children, and the aging population in the urban landscape through participatory approaches for mainstreaming inclusion contextually and locally.
• Increase awareness on the need for a people-centred approach to technology and innovation for inclusive urbanisation including fostering an ecosystem for narrowing the existing digital divide and reducing inequalities.
• Explore strategic partnerships and priority areas to translate action research into on-ground implementation.

Ms Lakshmi Puri,

Former Assistant Secretary-Genral at United Nations, and former Deputy Executive Director of UN Women

Mr. Manoj Joshi

Hon’ble Secretary, MoHUA

Mr. Rajesh Sharma,

Joint secretary, DEPwP, MOSJE

Mr. Shombi Sharp,

UN Resident Coordinator

Mr Shantanu Mitra,

Head, Infrastructure & Urban Development, British High Commission, Delhi.

Mr Hitesh Vaidya,

Director, NIUA

Session Moderators

Dr. B. Mohammed Asheel, WHO India

Mr. Harpreet Singh Arora,

Urban Planner, FCDO

Mr. Ajay Suri, NIUA

Panellists and Presenters Day 1 - Thematic Panel 1: Technology as an Enabler for Inclusive Cities

Mr. Dipendra Manocha, Saksham

Ms. Shilpi Kapoor, Barrier Break

Prof. PVM Rao, IIT Delhi

Dr. Kavi Arya, Professor, IIT-Mumbai

Ms. Mamta Kohli, Senior
Social Development Advisor,
FCDO

Mr. Padam Vijay, NIUA

Panellists and Presenters Day 1 - Thematic Panel 2: Gender and Disability Inclusion in Urban

Dr. Kalpana Viswanath, Safetipin

Ms. Nidhi Goyal, Rising Flame

Ms. Madhuri Das, Representative from UNICEF

Ms. Mukta Naik, Fellow, Centre for Policy Research

Prof. Subrata Chattopadhyay,
Professor, IIT-Kharagpur

Panellists and Presenters Day 1 - Thematic Panel 3: Localising Inclusion for Urbanisation

Disability Inclusive lighthouse projects / initiatives: Presentation on “Sugmaya Kashi” by Dr. D Vasudevan, VSCL

‘Empowering Transgender Community through Partcipation in Cuttack’s Water Management’ by Mr. G. Mathivathanan, Principal Secretary of Dept. of Housing and UD, Government of Odisha*

‘Making Cities Socially Smart, Experiences from two Cities’ by Mr. Sriram Haridass, Deputy Representative, UNFPA

‘Role of Data in Urban Governance’ by Ms Aishwarya Sehgal, Programme Associate, Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO

Mainstreaming LNOB as a key principle in national urban policies and programmes in India’ by Ms. Parul Agarwala, UN-Habitat India

‘Embedding Inclusion into the Project Cycle’ Case Studies from CITIIS by Ms. Manshi Singh, CITIIS, NIUA

DAY 2: FRIDAY, 29 APRIL 2022

Time	Session
09:30 am - 10:00 am	Introduction to Capacity Building Program on Gender and Disability Inclusion in Indian Cities  by Mr. Utsav Choudhury, Team Lead, BASIIC, NIUA and Dr. Kavita Murugkar, Design Bridge Foundation
10:00 am - 10:15 am	Pre-training Assessment of Participants
10:15 am - 10:45 am	Module 1: Understanding Disability, Gender Diversity and Inclusion 1.1: Introduction to Persons with Disability and Disability-related Inclusions 1.2: Fundamentals of Universal Design, Examples and Applications
10:45 am - 11:15 am	Simulation Exercise by Participants and Experience Sharing
11:15 am - 11:30 am	TEA/COFFEE BREAK
11:30 am - 12:00 pm	Module 2: Accessible, Inclusive and Safe Planning for Women and Girls, Elderly, and Persons with Disabilities   2.1: Building an Accessible city – Components, Issues and Challenges 2.2: Inclusive and Safe Urban Development – Features and Strategies 2.3: Best Practices and Caselets in Inclusive Urban Development
12:00 pm - 12:15 pm	Experience Sharing and Interaction with User Expert: Lived Experiences with Mobility Impairment by Ms. Suvarna Raj, Para-athlete
12:15 pm - 1:00 pm	- Transforming the Philosophy of Access and Inclusion (Introduction to the Harmonised Guidelines and Standards for Universal Accessibility in India 2021)   by Prof. Gaurav Raheja, HOD, Architecture and Planning, IIT Roorkee

01:00 pm - 2:00 pm - LUNCH BREAK

02:00 pm - 2:30 pm	Orientation to Field Visits and Access Toolkit By Mr. Abhijit Murugkar, Accessibility Expert, Design Bridge Foundation  by Mr. Utsav Choudhury, Team Lead, BASIIC, NIUA and Dr. Kavita Murugkar, Design Bridge Foundation
02:30 pm - 6:00 pm	Field Visits

END OF DAY 2

DAY 3: SATURDAY, 30 APRIL 2022

09:30 am - 10:00 am	Module 3 - Tools and Techniques for Disability Inclusion 3.1: Inclusive Master Plans 3.2: Access Audits 3.3: Safety Audits
10:00 am - 10:15 am	Experience Sharing and Interaction with User Expert: Lived Experiences with Visual Impairment by Ms. Prachi and Ms. Pragya Mahajan

10:15 am - 10:30 am- TEA/ COFFEE BREAK

10:30 am - 11:00 pm	Module 4 - Institutionalising Inclusive Urban Development within Cities 4.1: Participatory Planning 4.2: Funding Mechanism
11:00 am - 11:15 pm	Experience Sharing and Interaction with User Expert: Lived Experiences with Blood Related Disorders by Ms. Arti Batra, NCPEDP
11:15 am - 11:45 pm	Web/Digital Accessibility by Mr. Prashant Verma, Web Accessibility Expert
11:45 am - 12:15 pm	Open House Deliberation on Challenges of Implementation of Provisions of Universal Accessibility and Inclusion in Urban Areas
12:15 pm - 01:00 pm	Action Plan Preparation and Presentation, Capacity Evaluation and Plan for Impact Assessment
01:00 pm - 02:00 pm	Valedictory Function
01:00 pm - 01:10 pm	Address by Ms. Parul Agarwala, Country Programme Manager, UN-Habitat India
01:10 pm - 01:25 pm	Special Address by Mr. Ved Prakash, Joint Secretary, MoHUA
01:25 pm - 01:45 pm	Memento / Certificate Distribution
01:45 pm - 01:55 pm	Concluding Remarks by Mr. Hitesh Vaidya, Director, NIUA
01:55 pm - 02:00 pm	Vote of Thanks by Ms. Aarti Thakur, Disability Rights Officer, UNRCO

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM - LUNCH

END OF DAY 3

Description :

The All India Institute of Local Self-Government, in association with the Building Accessible Safe Inclusive Indian Cities Program (BASIIC) implemented by the National Institute of Urban Affairs and supported by Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, is organising an E-Dialogue titled-”Building Cities for All - A perspective on disability inclusion in urban development” on 31st January, 2022. Through this e-dialogue, the aim is to exchange ideas and set up discourses to develop universally accessible, and inclusive Indian cities. The e-dialogue will be a multifaceted expert panel reinterpreting cities through the ongoing discourse, their experiences and expertise. It will also present project impacts and outcomes from the training on Disability Inclusion for the city officials through a multifaceted expert panel.

Description :

BASIIC programme had triggered an aspirational dream in the institution to streamline the concepts of disability inclusion into the urban ecosystem. The workshop, designed to disseminate the learning so far, will also help seek prospective collaborations to further strengthen the work on inclusion both for knowledge creation and implementation support to cities. Through the discussions in the technical sessions, we aim to take forward the agenda of mainstreaming inclusion into India’s urban future. The panel discussions are curated to initiate thought provoking discussions and understand the different perspectives of various stakeholders. The workshop aims to advocate “Inclusion” in thought and practice to empower the marginalised groups to be active contributors to the country’s socio-economic growth. It will also showcase the established ecosystem within the quadruple helix with national and international partners. The workshop aims at triggering further discussions on institutional and implementation challenges for the integration of tenets of Inclusion, Accessibility and Safety into the city development practices. The workshop will unveil the updated “Harmonised Guidelines for Universal Accessibility in India.” While commemorating the UN’s “International Day for Persons with disabilities,” the workshop will further deep dive into deliberated discussion on streamlining India’s commitment towards UN-CRPD. This will in turn support the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to mainstream inclusion in making a more accessible, safe, and sustainable New India for all. The “Inclusive city framework” prepared in partnership with IIT-Kharagpur, will be launched and advocated as a part of the workshop. The workshop will act as a prelude to NIUA’s most recent partnership with the United Nations in India (UNRCO, UN-Habitat and UN-OICT) which will be pivotal in strategizing on ground implementation of the learnings from the BASIIC and the NULP programmes. The workshop will also present phase-II of NIUA’s partnership with IIT-Kharagpur and IIT-Roorkee, which will further introspect the challenges in on-ground implementation of policies and guidelines. The panel discussions are curated to initiate thought provoking discussions and understand the different perspectives of various stakeholders. The workshop aims to advocate “Inclusion” in thought and practice to empower the marginalised groups to be active contributors to the country’s socio-economic growth.

The objectives of the workshop are as follow:

• Disseminate guidelines and standards for inclusive development to policy makers and other stakeholders.
• Build capacities of various stakeholders in the realm of inclusive city planning and design.
• Identify and deliberate on mechanisms to resolve barriers to the implementation and integration of inclusion in urban development.
• Explore strategic partnerships and priority areas to translate action research into on-ground implementation.

Dignitaries

Special Address

Sh. Durga S. Mishra, Secretary, MoHUA

Remarks

Ms Evelyn Ashton-Griffiths, Acting Development Director and Head of Strategy at the British High Commission in New Delhi

Remarks

Ms. Radhika Kaul Batra, Representative from UN Resident Coordinators Office

Concluding Remarks and Way Forward

Mr. Hitesh Vaidya, Director, NIUA

Welcome & Agenda Setting and Vote of thanks

Sh Ajay Suri, Senior Advisor & Head Inclusive City Centre, NIUA

 

Session Chairs

 

Mr. Shantanu Mitra, Head, Infrastructure & Development, FCDO

Mr. Harpreet Singh Arora, Urban Advisor, FCDO

Dr. Debolina Kundu, Professor, NIUA

 

Panellists and Speakers

 

Technical Session 1: Mainstreaming Inclusion for Sustainable City Development

 

Ms. Aparna Das, Senior Advisor, GIZ

Mr. Nipun Malhotra, NIPMAN Foundation

Dr. Vasudevan, Chief General Manager, VSCL

Ms. Kakul Mishra Centre Head, CDG, NIUA

Utsav Choudhury, Team Lead, BASIIC, NIUA

Mr. Abhinav Kaushal, VSCL

Mr Iain McKinnon, GDI Hub

Mr Pashim Tiwari, Technical Director, AIILSG

 

Technical Session 2: Actionizing India’s Commitment to achieve Universal Accessibility and Inclusion

 

Prof. Gaurav Raheja, IIT Roorkee

Ms. Kanika Bansal Project Associate, BASIIC, NIUA

 

Technical Session 3:Need for Periodic Assessment of Inclusion, Access, and Safety in Cities

 

Mr. Rajan Mukherjee, State Commissioner of PwDs, NCT Delhi

Mr. R Srinivas, TCP, TCPO

Mr. P.P Singh, Chief Town Planner, State Town Planning Department, Haryana

 

Technical Session 3:Need for Periodic Assessment of Inclusion, Access, and Safety in Cities

 

Mr Subhash C Vashist, CABE Foundation

Prof Subrata Chattopadhyay, IIT Kharagpur

Prof Haimanti Banerji, IIT Kharagpur

Description :

Inclusive Cities – Approaches for making Indian cities more accessible, safe, and inclusive for ALL”, is organised by the “Inclusive Cities Centre (ICC)” at NIUA. The webinar commemorates the strategy launch of the Centre and initiates the dialogue on Inclusion and city development. The webinar is also a part of the 45th-anniversary celebrations of the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA). The event is also entirely accessible and will include live sign language interpretation and closed captioning. Brief Details about the Webinar: Date: 29 June 2021; Tuesday Time: 1400-1600 IST (2 hours)

Description :

We are celebrating Mental Health Awareness week from 8th-16th May. In observance of this week, the BASIIC project team reminds all our colleagues, friends, partners, and stakeholders to focus on their mental health in these tough times that each one of us is going through. Mental health and well being is more than just being happy or the pursuit of it. We encourage you all to inculcate healthy habits in your everyday life and resonate the same with your family and friends. Don't forget to also extend the small gestures of care and love in these difficult times. As part of the observance, the team has put together a few easy ways to remind yourself to practice mindfulness. Some posters, games, and interesting illustrations are available on the project page for download and sharing. We would also love to also hear from you about your practices in maintaining mental well being and personal anecdotes. You can reach us - @NIUA_India and #BASIIC_NIUA on twitter or you can also write to us - thebasiicproject@niua.org

Description :

NIUA is organising a painting competition for Special needs children, in observance of World Autism Day on 2nd April 2021. The competition is being supported by The Building Accessible, Safe, & inclusive Indian Cities (BASllC) programme. The competition will be launched on 2nd April (World Autism Day) and the students will be given 7 days’ time to work on the painting which must be submitted by 9th April 2021. The competition will have three categories Junior (5-7 years), Middle (7-10 years), and Senior (10-13 years). Each category will have a specific theme for their paintings. For more details please refer to the competition flyer. All the entries will receive a certificate of participation and selected entries in each category will be awarded prizes. Shortlisted entries will be displayed on social media handles of NIUA and on NIUA's website. To participate please send in your entries to - thebasiicproject@niua.org and refer to the competition brochure for terms and conditions.

Description :

The aim of the “The BASIIC Global Photo Contest” – An eye for inclusion is to engage a global community of citizens who have an eye for identifying inclusive solutions, are cognizant of the needs of the PwDs, and actively seek means that augment their quality of life. In an effort to do so, the contest seeks to influence policy makers, practitioners, solution providers, and citizens through the common language of photography, irrespective of age or level of photographic experience. We have chosen “Inclusion” as the central theme for “The BASIIC Global Photo Contest” – An eye for Inclusion. The theme represents three key areas in which urban life should adapt to the needs of the persons with disability – - Universal access (in built environment), - Innovations and technologies, - Unique interventions (i.e., Government Policies or Cultural practices or through change makers in the society Participants are encouraged to capture and share their personal photographic expression of the thematic areas in the urban surrounding and attempt to voice the perspective of the vulnerable. The entry form can be accessed from the Smartnet link below, and will available can be accessed on https://smartnet.niua.org/basiic-programme till 30th April 2020. For more information and issues related to login please feel free to write to us on - thebasiicproject@niua.org

Description :

NIUA and FCDO under the ‘Building Accessible, Safe and Inclusive Indian Cities’ (BASIIC) programme is hosting a 3-day workshop (on Dec. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd) to commemorate the annual observance of the International Day for Disabled Persons. The observance is planned to conclude with a social media engagement event on 3rd December 2020. The celebration aims to increase public awareness, understanding, and acceptance of people with disabilities and celebrate their achievements and contributions towards building a more just and equitable urban environment.

Description :

NIUA and FCDO under the ‘Building Accessible, Safe and Inclusive Indian Cities’ (BASIIC) programme is hosting a 3-day workshop (on Dec. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd) to commemorate the annual observance of the International Day for Disabled Persons. The observance is planned to conclude with a main event to be virtually held on 3rd December 2020. Day 2 is an engaging webinar that aims to highlight innovative yet practical approaches of “disability inclusion” into design and development of cities, spaces and buildings. The discussion will bring out the key challenges, identify innovative design solutions adapted for all types of disabilities and aspiration of forthcoming cities. The webinar aims to trigger the inquisitiveness among the young professionals and urban practitioner to develop localised & contextualised “Inclusive” solutions.

Description :

The Context World Health Organisation estimates more than one billion people i.e., about 15% of the world's population, experience some form of disability. For this reason, in various ways, Sustainable Development Goals talk explicitly about in parts related to education, growth and employment, inequality, accessibility of human settlements, and data collection and monitoring of the SDGs to empower those who are vulnerable in society. In this context, National Institute of Urban Affairs, through BASIIC program, is taking the initiative of addressing these inequalities and mainstreaming inclusion into the urban agenda. Building Accessible Safe Inclusive Indian Cities' (BASIIC) program at the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) has been developed with the support from the FCDO of the UK government. The program was founded on the recommendations highlighted in the consultation convened under the chairmanship of Hon'ble Minister Sh. Hardeep Singh Puri. Held in September 2018, the consultation invited expert insights on framing measures and policy recommendations for Persons with Disability (PwDs). The principal goal of BASIIC to build the capacities of Indian cities and practitioners to be sensitive and responsive to the needs of Persons with Disabilities. BASIIC endeavours to promulgate aspects of "Accessibility, Safety, and Inclusivity" into the fabric of urban development. International Disability Day For the past two decades, the United Nations(UN) is working in various capacities to mitigate the barriers faced by persons with disabilities. The "International Day of Person with Disability" is an annual observance on the 3rd of December, proclaimed in 1992, by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3. The Day's observance aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights, and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase the gains through awareness derived from integrating persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic, and cultural life. The CoVID-19 pandemic has fortified the connections between public health, environment, economy, challenges faced by persons with disabilities, and has retracted how the buildings and cities have been planned. It is resonated in this year's theme of "Building Back Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 World" as adopted by the United Nations. The Day is celebrated across India by relevant government departments, Disable people organizations, and other stakeholders. More than the mere observance, celebrations of this Day is a sign of solidarity towards the international community and India's commitment towards the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). On this important occasion, BASIIC program has planned to conduct a three-day workshop on "Disability Inclusion" The workshop is constituting Expert Lectures and webinar with experts on exploring practical ways of bringing in inclusion in urban space and design, engaging with youth and citizenry through an open call for competitions, and spreading awareness through the launch of knowledge products developed by NIUA on related topics. What do we want to accomplish? International Disability Day celebration aims to increase public awareness, understanding, and acceptance of people with disabilities and celebrate their achievements and contributions. The workshop intends to engage with the public and promote awareness among young professionals, students, ULB officials, urban practitioners, and other stakeholders and sensitize them about the concerns of persons with disabilities. It also intends to bring in an action-oriented approach and discuss innovative yet practical methods of mainstreaming disability inclusion into the urban agenda. Day 1 https://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/register/rwapufeb Day 2 https://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/register/kjuhwpqa Day 3 https://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/register/ddqdazek

Description :

NIUA and FCDO under the ‘Building Accessible, Safe and Inclusive Indian Cities’ (BASIIC) programme is hosting a 3-day workshop (on Dec. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd) to commemorate the annual observance of the International Day for Disabled Persons. The observance is planned to conclude with a main event to be virtually held on 3rd December 2020. The Day 1 event on 1st December is an inaugural session of the Lecture Series planned under BASIIC Programme. It aims to engage with subject matter experts, partners in change, relevant stakeholders from partner cities/national/regional level who are actively working across various realm of disability inclusion and resonate the need to address the barriers/challenges faced by Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in an urban environment.

Description :

A Webinar series on Building Accessible, Safe and Inclusive Cities hosted by NIUA with the support of DfID.