Author name: GGAFwc092023

The local governments and relevant stakeholders of Urban-LEDS II cities from Indonesia and Lao PDR shared their key learnings throughout the four-year implementation of the Urban Low Emissions Development Strategies (Urban-LEDS II) project during a regional networking seminar held virtually last 28 July 2021. The Urban-LEDS II Southeast Asia Regional Exchange Session involved the Indonesia governments of Balikpapan, Bogor, Tarakan, Tangerang Selatan, and Bogor Regency; the Lao PDR governments of Pakse, Kaysone Phomvihane, Bachieng Chaleunsouk, and Outhoumphone; and national government agencies, non-government/civil society organizations, associations, academic institutions, and consultants from the two countries. Organized by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability Southeast Asia Secretariat (ICLEI SEAS) the event served as a platform for the above model and satellite cities to discuss their low emission development and climate resilience experiences before the Urban-LEDS II project officially ends this December 2021. The Urban-LEDS project started in April 2017 through the funding of the European Union and through the joint implementation by UN-Habitat and ICLEI. “This peer-to-peer exchange is one of the flagship mechanisms of the Urban-LEDS project in its drive to accelerate local low emission development,” said  Mr. Victorino Aquitania, Regional Director of ICLEI SEAS. “Though this project will soon come to a close, we are hopeful that the project cities will continue sustaining their outputs and outcomes for truly long-term impact,” Mr. Aquitania added. LOCALIZING LOW EMISSION DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES The Indonesian model city of Balikpapan shared lessons on how the city reviewed the climate action plan (CAP) phase I including some remarkable achievements and significant challenges followed by the formulation of the CAP for Phase II. “We ensure that the project outputs, such as GHG inventory report, CRVA report, and Urban-LEDS II CAP, are used as references in the planning processes of Strategic Environment Assessment of Balikpapan Development Planning Agency period 2020-2024, as well as renewal of Balikpapan’s commitment on GHG emission reduction,” said Mrs. Nursyamsiarni D. Larose, Head of Pollution Control and Environmental Damage of the Balikpapan Environment Agency. Mr. Bounthee Saythongvanh, Deputy Head of Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Mitigation Division, Department of Climate Change, Laos Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (DCC-MoNRE), also explained the development of Community-level Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories of the country’s model cities. Mr. Saythongvanh  said “GHG inventories for the two model cities are initiatives, taking into account that the use of inventory tools such as GPC, CIRIS tools are new project learning experience. Data availability and capacity of the relevant sectors are still limited. Therefore, both technical support and financial sources need to be strengthened for capacity and data development in order to enable cities to continue to carry out their own GHG inventory.” Additionally, Mrs. Nouansy Thiphaxay, Head of Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Mitigation Division, Department of Climate Change, Laos Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, emphasized that more resources are needed to implement low emission development pathways. She strongly suggested that strengthening institutional capacity is a vital component in terms of means of implementation. All relevant stakeholders should also work together in breaking barriers in order to accelerate climate actions. REFLECTIONS FROM PARTNERS Dr. Avi Sarkar, UN-Habitat Southeast Asia Regional Advisor, highlighted the global impact of the Urban-LEDS project, saying “Cities have expressed their strong buy-in to continue the outcomes of Urban-LEDS II, where it shall be well maintained in the context of upscaling, replication, co-benefit & long-term impacts along with its sustainability by all relevant stakeholders both at the national and local level.” In his closing remarks, Mr. Ari Mochamad, Country Manager of ICLEI Indonesia, highlighted some reflections as one of the project implementers on the ground. He emphasized the need to engage and involve local parliaments, adding that enhancing the capacity of local parliaments will speed up the approval of the policy and local budgets. Further, understanding among the different levels of governments is crucial in enhancing the municipal framework. “We hope that activities and programs delivered through the Urban-LEDS project will be carried out optimally as cities continue to pursue low emission development and climate resilience.” concluded Mr. Mochamad. FOUR YEARS INTO THE URBAN-LEDS II JOURNEY Mr. Bounthee Saythongvanh of DCC-MoNRE Lao PDR (upper left) and Mrs. Nursyamsiarni D. Larose of Balikpapan Environmental Agency (bottom) served as panelists during the roundtable discussion of learnings, achievements, and opportunities of the Urban-LEDS II project during the Regional Exchange Session. While the pandemic has gained the world’s attention, Urban-LEDS cities continue their work in fulfilling their commitments in addressing the equally urgent global climate crisis. ICLEI and Urban-LEDS II cities in Indonesia and Laos shifted to alternative measures and made adjustments on how the project maintained its main activities, including technical assistance, capacity building, peer-to-peer exchange and learning, local-national dialogue, international promotion, synergies with other initiatives and projects, and access to finance for local project implementations.

Introduction Cities with high density face a potential high risk of exposure to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The virus is easily spread by people through direct and indirect contact, especially in areas where social distancing is barely possible. The COVID-19 pandemic is exposing glaring gaps in urban planning and development, especially for low-income and vulnerable neighborhoods where substandard housing and informal settlement are densely located with poor physical infrastructure and unequal access to core services. Not to discount the human toll and tragedy of the pandemic, but this crisis can be turned into an opportunity and momentum to reduce inequalities of access and make cities more safe, healthy, environmentally sustainable, resilient, and inclusive. This article is adapted from a guidance note issued by the Asian Development Bank to help cities in Asia and the Pacific to effectively respond to the crisis and to “build back better” in the immediate term as well as short- and medium-term while continuously adapting to a “new normal.” Challenges Rapid economic growth and urbanization have created megacities in the region and fostered urban sprawl in surrounding areas. Yet, many cities have not been able to keep up with the growing needs of their population. They now face challenges that have been further aggravated by COVID-19. These include inadequate urban and social infrastructure, intensified impacts on vulnerable population, ineffective information and communication technology (ICT) system, urban economic crisis at the macro and micro levels, and strained local government and planning. The urban poor are the most adversely affected by this pandemic. Often living in overcrowded, unsafe, and unhealthy environments with poor access to water, sanitation, and other basic services, they face increased vulnerabilities to the disease. They also have reduced income and livelihood opportunities because of mobility restrictions, furloughs, and the slowdown in economic activities. Considering the inadequate social protection systems, supporting vulnerable people and enterprises in cities is a challenge. The existing political, economic, and regulatory systems in developing economies often limit cities’ systemic and holistic response to workers and small businesses and to revitalize economies. Key Approaches Most cities are currently focusing their resources on the immediate management and response to COVID-19. While this is critical, cities paying attention to how immediate actions align with the short- and medium-term measures will gain an advantage toward building back better. It will also be useful to understand how short and medium-term actions synergize with other ongoing or planned investments and broader agendas. Key approaches for livable cities in the immediate term are the following: These are in line with the vision and three major outcomes of ADB’s Strategy 2030 Operational Plan for Priority 4: Making Cities More Livable (Figure 1). Figure 1: Making Cities More Livable: Post-COVID-19 Emergency Response and Immediate Actions These immediate actions are also part of the short- and medium-term efforts to: These are in line with the vision and three major outcomes of ADB’s Strategy 2030 Operational Plan for Priority 4: Making Cities More Livable (Figure 2). Figure 2: Making Cities More Livable: Post-COVID-19 Short-and Medium-Term Actions for the New Normal ADB’s Livable Cities Projects With the aim of addressing the impacts of COVID-19, ADB’s livable cities projects will be designed to support cities to be more healthy, inclusive, and resilient while supporting local economic development and creation of well-paying jobs for the citizens. Specifically, projects will include components to support, among others, (i) integrated urban planning process and coordination across departments and local administrative boundaries to strategically incorporate lessons from COVID-19 for safe and healthy cities; (ii) greater social protection measures for the most vulnerable groups, including affordable housing with integrated urban services in cities; and (iii) improvement of urban environments, including more focus on uninterrupted utility operations, WASH, wastewater and fecal sludge management, and solid waste and medical waste management. The livable cities projects will also include greater focus on strengthening financial sustainability, supporting financial inclusion, use of technologies and digital solutions for improving urban services, and building capacities of stakeholders, including communities.

Kuala Lumpur: “Kemerdekaan negara yang dikecapi lebih enam dekad seakan-akan tidak bererti jika kita semua tidak berganding bahu dalam isu kelestarian alam semula jadi,” kata Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Malaysia Green Technology and Climate Change Centre (MGTC) Shamsul Bahar Mohd Nor. Jelasnya, langkah proaktif yang dijalankan oleh pihak di dalam bidang itu seperti MGTC di bawah Kementerian Alam Sekitar dan Air (KASA) memerlukan sokongan inklusif daripada semua pihak kerana kelestarian alam sekitar penting untuk generasi masa depan Malaysia. “Bagi memastikan kelestarian alam sekitar dapat dilaksanakan, teknologi hijau dilihat sebagai ejen penting untuk memastikan persekitaran alam semula jadi tidak terjejas dengan perkembangan industri yang pesat. “Apabila kita memperkatakan mengenai teknologi hijau, ia bukan sahaja menjadi pemuliharaan alam sekitar malah mampu memberi limpahan ekonomi kepada rakyat,” katanya. Secara umumnya, peranan utama MGTC sebagai pemangkin pertumbuhan ekonomi hijau berpandukan Dasar Teknologi Hijau Negara (NGTP), Dasar Perubahan Iklim Negara (NCCP) dan Pelan Induk Teknologi Hijau (GTMP). Menjelang 2030, Malaysia mengunjurkan kadar keluaran dalam negara kasar (KDNK) daripada teknologi hijau sebanyak RM100 billion dan penjanaan sebanyak 230,000 peluang pekerjaan hijau. Shamsul berkata, bagi mencapai sasaran itu MGTC akan berusaha membangunkan ekonomi hijau, mempergiatkan tindakan perubahan iklim dan menyemai gaya hidup hijau yang meliputi masyarakat umum serta pemain industri. Jelasnya, pelaksanaan insentif pembiayaan hijau merangkumi Skim Pembiayaan Teknologi Hijau (GTFS) yang menawarkan pengeluar dan pengguna teknologi hijau dengan skim pinjaman kos rendah untuk memudahkan pembiayaan projek teknologi hijau. “Sejak diperkenalkan pada 2010, sebanyak 431 projek sudah diluluskan di bawah skim ini, dengan jumlah pembiayaan RM5.56 bilion dari 28 institusi kewangan yang mengambil bahagian. “Kedua, pengenalan insentif cukai teknologi hijau pada 2014 yang menyediakan industri dengan dua pilihan insentif cukai iaitu Green Investment Tax Allowances (GITA) untuk aset dan projek dan Green Income Tax Exemption (GITE) untuk Penyedia Perkhidmatan,” katanya. Pada 2020, MGTC meluluskan 243 permohonan yang ditagih dapat mengurangkan pelepasan GHG sebanyak 575,564 tCO2eq. Permohonan diluluskan itu mencatatkan RM965.6 juta nilai pelaburan hijau berpotensi dan dijangka mewujudkan 471 pekerjaan hijau. Di bawah insentif itu turut diperkenalkan ialah Geran Audit Tenaga Bersyarat (EACG) untuk sektor perindustrian di bawah Rancangan Malaysia ke-11 untuk mempromosikan kecekapan tenaga. Tambah beliau, justeru, MGTC dilantik sebagai agensi pelaksana untuk mengurus, mempromosi, menjalankan latihan, memantau dan mengesahkan keberkesanan projek. “Sehingga Disember 2020, EACG merekodkan penjimatan tenaga keseluruhan 141.334 GWh, bersamaan penjimatan kos tenaga RM52.638 juta dan 94.782 kton karbon yang berjaya dihindarkan dengan jumlah pelaburan RM122.747 juta daripada 108 syarikat,” katanya. Tidak sekadar itu, MGTC juga memberi pengiktirafan hijau menerusi program seperti MyHIJAU Mark and Directory. Katanya, pada 2020, program MyHIJAU berjaya menarik penyertaan 470 syarikat dengan 7,498 produk hijau dan perkhidmatan diperakui. “Pada Julai 2019 kita turut memperkenalkan inisiatif Low Carbon Cities 2030 Challenge (LCC2030C) bagi mempercepatkan transformasi Malaysia ke arah bandar rendah karbon. “Program ini bertujuan mencapai sasaran 200 Zon Rendah Karbon dan 1,000 Rakan Kongsi Rendah Karbon menjelang 2030,” katanya. Beliau berkata, MGTC turut melaksanakan budaya hijau yang lain seperti penyediaan akses kepada inovasi hijau terkini dan memberi pengiktirafan kepada pelbagai pihak yang bersama-sama merancakkan kelestarian negara. “Justeru, MGTC amat berharap lebih ramai pemain industri merancakkan industri hijau kerana ia penting untuk masa depan negara kita,” katanya.