India-led Global River Cities Alliance (GRCA) launched at COP-28 in Dubai
The Global River Cities Alliance (GRCA), led by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, was launched at COP28,
the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates with countries namely India, Egypt, Netherlands, Denmark, Ghana, Australia, Bhutan, Cambodia, Japan and river-cities of The Hague (Den Haag) from the Netherlands, Adelaide from Australia, and Szolnok of Hungary and International funding agencies the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and knowledge management institution like KPMG entering into a partnership, widely expanding the reach of the existing River Cities Alliance (RCA), formed by NMCG in association with National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) in 2021.
What is The Global River Cities Alliance (GRCA)?
The Global River Cities Alliance GRCA is a unique alliance covering 275+ global river-cities in 11 countries, international funding agencies and knowledge management partners and is first of its kind in the world. The launch of GRCA, signifies a momentous step in global efforts toward river conservation and sustainable water management. Following this, partner countries are poised to coordinate post-COP activities, shaping the architecture of GRCA for effective implementation.
National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has signed a Memorandum of Common Purpose (MoCP) with Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI), representing 124 cities/towns situated along banks of Mississippi River, USA.
- This led to launch of GRCA, as the current River Cities Alliance (RCA) has now expanded its strength to membership of 267 global river-cities including India (142 River cities), USA and Denmark.
Modeled on lines of India’s RCA, GRCA’s secretarial role would be served by NMCG under Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) and National Institute for Urban Affairs (NIUA) under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
RCA, established in 2021 by NMCG, is a joint initiative of MoJS & MoHUA to connect river cities and focus on sustainable river centric development.
Aim of The Global River Cities Alliance
- A comprehensive water monitoring program
- Sharing best practices for renaturing urban areas
- Restoring aquatic ecosystems for sustainable urban development
- Restoring urban forests and lakes connected to rivers
Significances of The Global River Cities Alliance GRCA
- Making river basin cities water-sensitive for improved river health.
- Strengthen governance of river cities and improve their liveability to attract external economic investments.
- Promotes Urban River Management Plans and city-specific sectoral strategies for sustainable urban river management.
- Support member cities in implementation of SDG6-Clean Water and Sanitation.
About National Mission for Clean Ganga NMCG
- It was registered as a society in 2011 under Societies Registration Act 1860.
- It acts as implementation arm of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) which was constituted under Environment (Protection) Act (EPA) 1986.