NIUA team with the Jamnagar city key government officials and stakeholders

Kaveri Bahure from C-Cube team presenting Jamnagar city data analysis

NIUA team with the Junagadh city key government officials and stakeholders

Anshul Abbasi and Venkat Jayagopi from C-Cube team presenting Junagadh city data analysis

CAP 2nd Stakeholder Consultation in Gujarat

Climate Centre for Cities (C-Cube)

NIUA and Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM) South Asia have partnered to support the Jamnagar and Junagadh Municipal Corporations in developing Climate Action Plans for their respective cities. Through this collaboration, the project aims to assist in implementing climate and energy commitments by translating them into actionable plans through target and priority-setting processes, based on the Climate Action Plans. Over the past few months, a dedicated team at C-Cube has been collecting relevant data, compiling a comprehensive Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory, and conducting a thorough vulnerability assessment.

During a recent city visit from 20 February 2024 in Jamnagar and 22 February 2024 in Junagadh, the C-Cube team presented their data analysis through in-depth group discussions with key officials from the city and state departments to identify priority areas requiring immediate attention. This included assessing existing and proposed projects in priority areas and contributing to formulating recommendations and action points to strengthen climate initiatives for Jamnagar and Junagadh Cities.

Discussion with the women at the Biju Adarsh Colony

Meeting the women at the Material Recovery Centre, Bhubaneshwar

Learning Gender-Inclusive Practices from Odisha

Inclusive Cities Centre (ICC)

As a part of mainstreaming gender inclusion across sanitation, an exposure visit was organised to Bhubaneshwar, Odisha on 30-31 January 2024.  Monica Thakur from ICC at iNIUA participated in the visit. 

Key highlights of the visit:

• Highlighted Odisha's commitment to employing women and transgender people in the sanitation sector.
• Visited key locations such as the Micro Composting Centre (MCC), Material Recovery Facility (MRRF), FSTPs, and the Biju Adarsh Colonies in Bhubaneshwar.
• Gained insights into the schemes undertaken by the State of Odisha and their on-ground implementation.
• Interacted with scheme beneficiaries, trainers from Odisha Urban Academy (OUA), and organisations working on the ground to understand the implementation process, gender and disability inclusion, and participatory data collection with SHGs.
• Assess the spatial, economic, and social inclusion of beneficiaries in the sanitation value chain of Odisha through efforts such as ‘Garima Gruh’, health insurance for sanitation workers, ‘Jaga Mission’, and ‘Pad Bank’.

The visit concluded with a presentation by NIUA, summarising key takeaways and recommendations for further enhancing gender and disability inclusion in sanitation.

Utsav Choudhury at Panel Discussion on highlighting the need for Inclusive Child-Friendly Spaces

Highlighting the Need for Child-Friendly Public Spaces

Inclusive Cities Centre (ICC)

Van Leer Foundation and ICLEI South Asia organised a workshop on the ‘Usage of Public Spaces and the Impact of Climate Change and Worsening Air Quality on Young Children, their Caregivers, and Pregnant Women in Indian Cities’. Utsav Choudhury, Program Manager, ICC at NIUA as a panellist highlighted the need for adequate and quality public spaces, especially for children in urban areas, and how investing in children’s development enables a nation’s GDP growth. He put forth the following points:

• Safe and inclusive public spaces promote inclusivity, interaction, and growth for children from diverse backgrounds. 
• Secure play areas that do not discriminate against any child are vital in every public space. 
• Standards and guidelines are necessary for creating child-friendly public spaces. 
• Inclusive public spaces for children, caregivers, and pregnant women exist in various locations. 
• The ultimate goal is to make every public space inclusive and child-friendly, with national and state initiatives aligned.

In summary, NIUA underscored the importance of integrating inclusion into our mindset, governance, and administrative systems for creating child-friendly public spaces.