Workshop highlights pre-requisites for local government capacity to finance urban infrastructure for inclusive, resilient and sustainable cities
Posted on – Thu, 30 Mar 23 at 07:44pm
Workshop highlights pre-requisites for local government capacity to finance urban infrastructure for inclusive, resilient and sustainable cities
Visakhapatnam: India’s G20 presidency and the Asian Development Bank jointly organized a capacity building workshop for G20 delegates on Thursday as part of the second G20 Infrastructure Working Group (IWG) meeting.
The workshop aims to discuss international best practices in urban infrastructure development and financing. The workshop highlighted the preconditions for the capacity of local governments to finance urban infrastructure for inclusive, resilient and sustainable cities. It includes classroom instruction and field trips for effective cross-learning. The site visit aims to enhance understanding of the innovative features of urban infrastructure projects and various financing options.
In the first half of the workshop, experts from Singapore, South Korea, Russia, China, the European Commission and India presented best practices adopted by their countries to strengthen urban infrastructure financing.
Mr. Ah Tuan Loh, former Deputy CEO and Director-General of the National Environment Agency of Singapore, introduced Singapore’s principles and strategies for building an inclusive, resilient and sustainable city, including a dynamic urban governance system for liveability, integrated master planning and development, Waste and water management and environmental monitoring and education.
The meeting was followed by sharing of South Korea’s experiences and challenges in urban development and financing and its initiatives to disseminate knowledge globally. Mr. Inhee Kim, Director of the Seoul Institute, and Ms. Ga Hui Shin, Seoul Institute, presented and discussed the specific challenges facing the city of Seoul and the various reconstruction and rehabilitation measures being taken to alleviate them.
At the previous session, representatives from China, Russia, the European Commission and India presented specific case studies to highlight various measures taken to increase financing for urban infrastructure.
Classroom instruction complemented by field trips showcased three successful projects, namely (i) VCICDP demonstrating sustainable and inclusive water supply improvements through smart water management, (ii) Mudasarlova Lake demonstrating lake revitalization and 2 MW of floating solar Enhanced climate resilience and (iii) Jindal waste-to-energy plant, emphasizing private sector participation in effective solid waste management.
The workshop marked the successful conclusion of the 2-day IWG meeting in Visakhapatnam. The next meeting of the group is scheduled for June 26-28, 2023 in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand.
