22 January 2024, Lalitpur, Nepal – Lalitpur Metropolitan City in collaboration with UN-Habitat, with support from Government of Japan, organized a half-day Technical Session on ‘Green and Inclusive Urban Spaces’ on 19 January 2024, in Lalitpur. The event served as a platform for learning and sharing of knowledge, skill and experience between participants representing Ministry of Urban Development (MOUD), Lalitpur Metropolitan City, Kathmandu Valley Development Authority (KVDA), various municipalities within Kathmandu valley, students, academia, professional societies (RUPSON, SONA), NGOs, and community-based organizations, development partners, Embassy of Japan, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), ECOSYSTEM Inc., and UN-Habitat Regional Office for the Asia & Pacific (ROAP). It was preceded by demonstration of an innovative green technology as permeable pavement for public and pedestrian spaces by utilizing recycled bricks and construction wastes. These efforts align with the broader mission to foster green and inclusive urban growth, building on a longstanding collaboration with Lalitpur.
Setting the agenda, Ms. Pragya Pradhan, Habitat Program Manager, UN-Habitat Nepal, explained need for prioritizing investments on social infrastructure and public amenities that are green, inclusive serve multiple benefits in making our cities vibrant and alive. It was followed by remarks from Ms. Kanako Toga, METI, explaining the Climate Change Adaptation Good Practices promoted by METI in collaboration with UN-Habitat and stakeholders.
The technical session with presentations highlighted various green and inclusive approaches for addressing urban issues. Mr. Safal Shrestha, District Commissioner, KVDA – Lalitpur made the participants delve into the application of Urban Ecosystem-Based Adaptation for climate resilient development in Kathmandu Valley and the ongoing project. He stressed on the need to view, “EbA as a trajectory rather than a one-off intervention”, along with need to focus on planning and policy reforms to encourage environment responsive development.