EU-funded programme to boost sustainable urban development

A European Union-funded programme, which seeks to strengthen cooperation with Indian cities on sustainable urban development and climate actions, was launched here today.

The International Urban Cooperation (IUC) programme will be implemented in India until November 2019.

It will focus on enhancing cooperation between Indian and EU cities to develop local action plans in areas such as urban mobility, waste management systems, water management schemes, urban public spaces design and planning, urban green areas and afforestation, urban services management, according to an official statement.

It will also help Indian cities in addressing the challenges pertaining to climate change.

"The European Investment Bank has already provided loans and credit lines for more than 1.5 billion to support implementation of energy and climate related projects in India," said Tomasz Kozlowski, Ambassador of the European Union to India, at an event to launch the programme.

"The EU together with the 28 European Member States are committed to be a credible long term partner for India to work on a clean energy future, to implement climate commitments, and to support India's urban transformation," Kozlowski added.

According to the statement, the IUC programme operates in the framework of the main international Urban and Climate Agendas, the Habitat III Urban Agenda, the Paris Agreement for Climate Action, and the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development Goals.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)