CapaCITIES creates a blueprint for urban climate resilience

Celebrating the progress made over a decade of the CapaCITIES programme an event ‘Scaling Urban Climate Resilience: The CapaCITIES Legacy and Way Forward’, organized by ICLEI South Asia and National Institute of Urban Affairs, was held at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, today. CapaCITIES programme, has equipped Indian cities with the knowledge, tools, and institutional capacities to mainstream low-carbon, climate-resilient development into urban governance,

Launched in 2016 and funded by the Embassy of Switzerland to India and Bhutan, the Capacity Building Project on Low Carbon and Climate Resilient City Development in India (CapaCITIES) programme has driven low-carbon, climate-resilient urban development. By directly strengthening local capabilities, the programme has supported India’s 2070 net-zero emissions objective by aligning local action with national missions and state-level goals.

The inaugural session was attended by Gopal Prasad, Economic Adviser, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, H Ms Maya Tissafi, Ambassador, Embassy of Switzerland to India and Bhutan, Ms Geetaben Makwana, Mayor, Vadodara Municipal Corporation, Ms Daxaben Vasani, Deputy Mayor, Rajkot Municipal Corporation, Dr Debolina Kundu, Director, National Institute of Urban Affairs, and Mr Emani Kumar, Deputy Secretary General, ICLEI and Executive Director, ICLEI South Asia. The session focused on the scaling up and institutionalisation of locally led climate action in urban India.(UPDATED ON 14TH JULY 2026)