C40 Cities and the City of Bengaluru co-hosted a first-of-its-kind inclusive climate action (ICA) workshop themed “Participatory Practices for Inclusive Climate Action in Cities.” The sessions took place on July 15 and 16 and brought together over 100 stakeholders from various sectors and city departments. The goal was to explore how these stakeholders could share and collaborate to deliver inclusive climate action.
Strategy and collaboration: Exploring the core of inclusive climate action
During the two-day session, participants dove into the inner workings of turning inclusive climate action into reality by:
- Learning to develop their technical skills and approaches to formulate sustainable strategies that take into account diverse communities and stakeholders.
- Gaining an increased understanding of how collaboration and diverse perspectives and expertise can improve the outcome of climate solutions.
Lessons learned: Driving local impact
“I had basic knowledge about inclusive climate action, but the workshop has been a learning experience, especially interacting with other city officials from different domains. We currently have a climate budget component which will be implemented in the coming years’ budget and I have benefited positively from this experience. This was an excellent experience; I felt like I was a student again!” – Pravin Jain, Chief Accounts & Finance Officer, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation
“The role play workshop was an activity where we could think from the perspective of other stakeholders and was very interactive. We got some new ideas and approaches, which we will look forward to implementing in our city.” – Varsha Aathalye, Executive Engineer (SWM Project), Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation
Bengaluru: Leading the inclusive climate action movement with waste management
Bengaluru’s leadership in integrating frontline waste workers into the city’s climate resilience efforts was the springboard for the ICA workshop in the region. The city experience has facilitated knowledge sharing, encouraged other Indian cities to take action, and inspired officials to make their cities more inclusive.
In 2022, Bengaluru became the first city in South and West Asia to join C40’s Inclusive Climate Action (ICA) programme and ever since, has played a critical role in demonstrating that participatory approaches can deliver strengthened, inclusive, and sustainable waste management practices while addressing the climate action needs in the city.
Through the ICA implementation programme, Bengaluru is building inclusive institutional mechanisms for waste management by engaging with diverse stakeholders.
In 2023 the city undertook a baseline assessment to identify and map all stakeholders in the waste value chain of bulk waste generators (BWG) and a detailed analysis of their vulnerabilities, powers and interests. Based on the findings from the baseline assessment report, in early 2024, a second phase of the project focused on the design, development and implementation of targeted engagement, upskilling, and training of frontline workers including city officials (Junior Health Inspectors), contractors and waste workers.
