changeadminCelebrating the progress made over a decade of the CapaCITIES programme, an event ‘Scaling Urban Climate Resilience: The CapaCITIES Legacy and Way Forward’, organised by ICLEI South Asia and the National Institute of Urban Affairs, was held in New Delhi today.
The 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 initiative was implemented through a collaborative partnership involving ICLEI South Asia, South Pole and econcept, with the National Institute of Urban Affairs as the knowledge partner.
The cities of Coimbatore, Thiruchirappalli, and Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu; Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara, Udaipur, and Siliguri; and the state governments of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu received support from this project.
About the Event
The convening brought together senior government officials, mayors, commissioners, and engineers from 30+ cities; representatives from 6 state governments; high-level representatives from financial institutions; and technical experts to review a decade of building local climate capabilities and chart the future of urban sustainability.
Speakers at the inaugural session emphasised that India’s urban climate transition must move beyond policy intent to institutional implementation.
They underscored the need to embed climate action within urban planning systems, strengthen local capacities, scale successful city-led models, and deepen partnerships to accelerate climate-resilient urban development.
Stressing the importance of institutionalising climate action in city governance, Gopal Prasad, Economic Adviser, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, said, “Integrating climate action with urban planning is important, but the real challenge is demonstrating how it can actually be done. The model developed through this programme can be emulated across India and scaled up in the next phase. The dedicated climate cells need to be established within urban local bodies so that cities can integrate climate considerations into their planning processes and build the institutional capacity needed for effective implementation.”
Highlighting the decade-long India–Switzerland partnership behind the initiative, H.E. Ms Maya Tissafi, Ambassador, Embassy of Switzerland to India and Bhutan, said, “When Switzerland decided to support the CapaCITIES programme, the mission was clear: strengthen institutions, build local capacities, and aid city governments to integrate climate considerations into the way they plan and budget for their cities. Today we are celebrating 10 years of trust, partnership and shared learning between India and Switzerland.”
Dr Debolina Kundu, Director, National Institute of Urban Affairs, said the programme had demonstrated that climate action could generate multiple developmental co-benefits while creating replicable models for cities across the country. She added, “Under CapaCITIES, projects have provided multifold impacts like livelihood generation, community awareness, women empowerment & ecosystem restoration, besides emissions reduction. The cities that have built impact under the CapaCITIES programme can act as lighthouses for other cities in India. Continued cross-pollination of ideas across India’s local urban landscape will be imperative as we move towards Viksit Bharat.”
Calling the event the beginning of the programme’s next phase, Emani Kumar, Deputy Secretary General, ICLEI and Executive Director, ICLEI South Asia, said, “ICLEI South Asia, through projects like CapaCITIES, is fully committed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Panchamrit goals, ensuring our work is deeply embedded in national missions like Mission LiFE, the SmartCitiesMission, AMRUT and readiness for the recent Urban Challenge Fund. Today’s event is a step forward, marking the beginning of a new chapter in India’s onward journey towards climate-resilient, future-ready cities.”
The technical sessions that followed elaborated on mainstreaming climate considerations into urban planning, scaling successful local demonstrations through programmes like CITIIS 2.0 and TNCRUDP, and mobilising capital through innovative financing to modernise sustainable infrastructure.
Participating state and municipal officials also shared their experiences in developing and implementing projects and the on-the-ground impacts.
The event also saw the launch of three CapaCITIES Knowledge Products
- The Net-Zero Climate Resilient Cities Methodology Toolkit,
- Energy Transition for Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in India: A Practitioner’s Guidebook, and
- Facilitating the Transition of Cities in India Along a Low-Carbon Pathway: Enabling the Flow of Finance, a white paper.
In addition, a Video Training Series on the Preparation and Implementation of Net-Zero, Climate-Resilient City Action Plans was launched and is now available on the National Urban Learning Platform.
Developed as practical resources, these publications aim to help cities across India scale up low-carbon, climate-resilient development.
Participants also visited an exhibition showcasing the programme’s decade-long impact through stories from cities, practitioners, and local communities.
Impact of the programme over the past decade
The event also highlighted the systemic changes and scalable urban solutions achieved by the programme over the past decade:
Net-Zero Planning: Pioneered Net-Zero, Climate-Resilient City Action Plans (CRCAPs) across eight cities in four states: Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, Tirunelveli, Siliguri, and Udaipur.
Institutional Governance: Established permanent Net-Zero and Climate Action Cells in six project cities to enable long-term implementation, monitoring, and climate budgeting.
On-Ground Solutions: Deployed high-impact pilot projects, including Ahmedabad’s solar e-bus charging station, Coimbatore’s 154 kWp floating solar plant, Rajkot’s Green Mobility Zone with 100 subsidised e-autos, Tiruchirappalli’s lake restoration, Tirunelveli’s early flood warning system, and Vadodara’s Miyawaki urban forestry. Cities and their state governments have already begun scaling up climate action.
Regional Scale-Up: Expanded capacity-building frameworks beyond India to Global South neighbours, including Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia.
Impact Numbers of CapaCITIES:
- 35+ cities using the Climate Resilient City Action Planning (CRCAP) methodology
- 34+ cities supported through the Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF)
- 1000+ people trained in climate planning, finance and implementation
- 12 Climate Action Plans helping cities chart their climate future
- 25 quick-win projects improving lives on the ground
- 24 bankable projects conceptualised, and 16 bankability reports developed
- 25+ Technical studies guiding local decisions
Unlocking Climate Investment for People
- INR 7142 billion in climate investments identified through Net-Zero CRCAPs
- INR 120.52 million invested through CapaCITIES pilot projects
- INR 40.52 million mobilised through government co-financing
- INR 3.84 billion committed for scale-up investments
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