Context: The Global River Cities Alliance (GRCA), led by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, was launched at COP28, the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai.
India-led Global River Cities Alliance launched at COP28
- A Memorandum of Common Purpose (MoCP): A Memorandum of Common Purpose (MoCP) has been signed by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) on behalf of River Cities Alliance (RCA) and the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI), which represents 124 cities and towns in the United States along the banks of the Mississippi River.
- Support from International Organisations: Multilateral funding agencies such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank have also pledged their support for the initiative.
About National Mission on Clean Ganga (NMCG)
- NMCG was registered as a society on 12th August 2011 under the Societies Registration Act 1860.
- Implemented by: National Ganga Council.
- It acted as the implementation arm of National Ganga River Basin Authority(NGRBA) which was constituted under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act (EPA),1986.
- NGRBA was dissolved in 2016.
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Must Read: COP28 Climate Summit in Dubai: Key Highlights, Themes, and India’s Role
What is the Global River Cities Alliance?
- Global River Cities Alliance 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 Global River Cities Alliance is modeled on the lines of India’s River Cities Alliance established by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) in November 2021.
- Secretariat: The National Mission for Clean Ganga will take on the role of the Secretariat of the Global River Cities Alliance to generate the initial momentum of the alliance activities.
- Participants: India, Egypt, Netherlands, Denmark, Ghana, Australia, Bhutan, Cambodia, Japan and river-cities of:
- The Hague (Den Haag) from the Netherlands
- Adelaide from Australia
- Szolnok of Hungary
- International funding agencies the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
About River Cities Alliance
- Objective: To foster the sustainable development of river cities.
- Colloboration: Ministry of Jal Shakti and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
- Themes: Networking, Capacity Building and Technical Support.
- Composition: River Cities Alliance started with 30 cities in 2021 and currently as of 12th December, 2023 it has 143 river cities as members across India
- The Alliance is open to all river cities of India. Any river city can join the Alliance at any time.
- Secretariat: The Secretariat of the Alliance is set up at the National Institute for Urban Affairs (NIUA).
- Annual Meeting: DHARA which stands for Driving Holistic Action for Urban Rivers is the annual meeting of the members of the River Cities Alliance (RCA), organized by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) in association with National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA).
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News Source: PIB
December 13, 2023