• Shri Tokhan Sahu, Hon’ble Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India
• Shoko Ishikawa, Country Representative, UN Women India
• Adv. Minimol V.K, Hon’ble Mayor of Kochi, India
• Ismail Rafeeq, Hon’ble Mayor of Fuvahmulah, Maldives
• Bhola Pokhrel, Hon’ble Mayor of Karjanha, Nepal
• Thinley Namgay, Hon’ble Mayor of Samdrup Jongkhar, Bhutan
• Dr. Debolina Kundu, Director, National Institute of Urban Affairs, India
• Gino Van Begin, Secretary General, ICLEI
• Emani Kumar, Deputy Secretary General, ICLEI and Executive Director, ICLEI South Asia

Launches:

• Centre for Sustainable Urban Mobility and Integrated Transportation (SUMMIT)
• Investing in Climate Resilient Cities - State Level Project Pipelines: Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana
• ICLEI South Asia Annual Report 2025–26
• Embedding Gender Equity and Responsive Transport - A Compendium of Case Studies for Gender and Mobility in India ⁠
• A Compendium of Case Studies for Mobilising Funds to Enable Integrated Planning and Infrastructure Development
• Policy Framework for Gender Equality in Public Bus Transport Systems

Opening Plenary

The session positions itself as the bridge between commitment and on-ground delivery, where cities, through multilevel action, turn climate pledges into measurable results. Your expertise and insights would be a valuable addition to the discussion, contributing to a shared vision for inclusive, climate-resilient, and sustainable urban development.

Moderator:

• Gino Van Begin, Secretary General, ICLEI

Panellists:

• Philippe Sas, Head of International Cooperation and Counsellor, Embassy of Switzerland to India and Bhutan
• Sara M. Cohen, Head of Economic Affairs, and Economic Counsellor, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in India
• Taina Dyckhoff, Head of Environment and Climate Division, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in India
• Jesper Moller, Deputy Representative, UNICEF India Country Office
• Isabelle Tschan Harada, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP India
• Nilesh Rajadhyaksha, Country Programme Manager, UN-Habitat India
• Ovais Sarmad, GCMA, F. IOD, Independent Adviser on Environmental Sustainability & Innovation; Former Deputy Executive Secretary, UNFCCC

PARALLEL SESSION 1

Rapid urbanisation and climate change are intensifying both urban flooding and seasonal water scarcity, revealing the shortcomings of traditional water management methods.

This session will examine how cities can shift from isolated drainage and water supply solutions to an integrated urban water management approach. Emphasis will be placed on proactive planning, water body rejuvenation, nature-based solutions and community participation to create water-secure, climate-resilient urban areas.

Welcome:

• Bedoshruti Sadhukhan, Associate Director, ICLEI South Asia

Keynote Addresses:

• Anand Shekhar, CEO, WaterAid India
• A.V. Ranganath, IPS, Commissioner, Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency, Government of Telangana
• Rajeev Kumar Mital, IAS, Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga (TBC)

Panel discussion: Rethinking water: Floods, Water security and Water resilient future

Moderator:

• Dr. Victor R. Shinde, Head, Water and Environment, National Institute of Urban Affairs, India

Panellists:

• Ganesh Paudel, Joint Secretary, President Chure Terai Madhesh Conservation Development Board, Government of Nepal
• Rinsad Ahamed Mohamed Farook, Hon’ble Mayor of Puttalam Municipal Council, Sri Lanka
• Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, IAS (R), Former Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga, India
• P.V. Subba Rao, Retired Chief Engineer, Water Resources Department, Tirupati, Government of Andhra Pradesh
• Suresh Babu SV, Senior Director-Ecological Footprint WWF - India

PARALLEL SESSION 2

The global energy transition is gathering pace, with a record addition of 692 GW of renewable capacity, and India is targeting 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030, a scale-up that will require large-scale energy storage deployments. As cities account for around 70 percent of global emissions, urban mitigation efforts are crucial to meeting these ambitious commitments. For the rapidly growing cities of South Asia, with much of their future building stock yet to be built, how their built environment is designed and powered will play a significant role in shaping this transition.

This session will explore how local governments and distribution companies can scale up net-zero buildings and integrate distributed renewables and storage across the urban built environment and local distribution grids.

Moderator:

• Soumya Chaturvedula, Director, ICLEI South Asia

Keynote Addresses:

• Dr. Poorva Keskar, Director, VK:e environmental

Presentation: Opportunities and Enablers for Sustainable Energy Transition in South Asian Cities

Presenter:

• Nikhil Kolsepatil, Senior Programme Coordinator (Energy & Climate), ICLEI South Asia

Panel Discussion: Decarbonising the Urban Built Environment: Scaling Sustainable Energy Transition in Cities through Policy, Technology, Finance and Partnerships

Panellists:

• Dr. Jeevan Kumar Jethani, Senior Director, Ministry of New And Renewable Energy, Government of India
• Akshima Ghate, Managing Director, RMI India
• Dr. Poorva Keskar, Director, VK:e environmental
• Karma Euthra, Executive Engineer, Sustainable & Resilient Building Division, Department of Human Settlement, Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, Royal Government of Bhutan
• Pramod Kumar Singh, Senior Director – Research & Programmes, Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy

PARALLEL SESSION 3

The session delves into the power and possibilities that lie in the coexistence of the natural and engineered world. This session would additionally highlight the importance of co-benefits, the value of natural assets and biodiversity. The session explores how target 12 of Kunming- Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework can serve as a guiding framework to balance urban ecology, resilience and development.

Moderator:

• Dr. Monalisa Sen, Associate Director, ICLEI South Asia

Keynote Address:

• Dr. Vinod B. Mathur, Former Chairperson, National Biodiversity Authority, India

Panellists:

• Adv. Minimol V. K., Hon’ble Mayor of Kochi
• V. Krishna, IFS, Former Dean, Forest College and Research Institute, Mulugu, Hyderabad
• Yeshey Nidup, Architect, City Development Office, Gelephu Mindfulness City, Bhutan
• Dr. Sumit Dookia, Associate Professor, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University
• Dr. Avantika Bhaskar, Senior Advisor, Indo-German Biodiversity Programme

Launch: Guidelines on Canal Restoration using Nature-based Solutions

PARALLEL SESSION 4 (By invite only)

The conversation will connect the emerging global agenda around the Culture Global Stocktake and UNFCCC’s Entertainment and Culture for Climate Action (ECCA) Strategy with the realities of South Asian cities, while moving beyond narrative framing to position culture as an actionable lever for systemic urban resilience.

It will explore how these approaches can inform locally grounded climate action, aligned with the Culture Global Stocktake for Climate Action (CGST), which will deliver its first stocktake at COP31 in Türkiye.

Moderator

• Gunjan Nanda, Co-Founder, Entertainment + Culture Pavilion

Framing Presentation:

• Sayli Mankikar, Associate Director, ICLEI South Asia

Roundtable panellists:

• Nilesh Rajadhyaksha, Country Programme Manager, UN-Habitat India
• Nidhi Batra, Founder, Sehreeti Developmental Practices Foundation
• Dr. Jana Das Chaudhuri, Urban Heritage & Sustainability Strategist Steering Committee Member, HERITOPOLIS
• Mandira Kalra Kalaan, Senior Director and Head of Office, Purpose India
• Shivani Singh, National Urban Editor, Hindustan Times
• Smita Rakesh, Director of India, The Earthshot Prize
• Jayashree Nandi, Communications Consultant, UNFCCC
• Sayli Mankikar, Associate Director, ICLEI South Asia
• Reethira Kumar, Senior Programme Communications Specialist, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW)

Jointly organised by C40 Cities and NIUA | (By invite only)

C40 Cities and the National Institute of Urban Affairs are jointly convening a closed-door roundtable to bring together key stakeholders to discuss how climate can be systematically mainstreamed into city procurement systems across India. The roundtable aims to:

• Identify key drivers, enablers and priority areas for action to mainstream climate into city procurement.
• Identify how existing programmes, resources, frameworks and partnerships can be strengthened and better aligned to support cities.
• Agree on priority actions, potential partners and next steps to scale up climate mainstreaming in city procurement.

Opening remarks

• Dr. Debolina Kundu, National Institute of Urban Affairs

Roundtable speakers

• Md Asif Raza, Lead- City Planning and Engagement, Climate Projects Preparation Facility (CPPF), National Institute of Urban Affairs, India
• Sarika Chakravarty, Director of Implementation, C40 Cities
• Aditya Sharma, Associate Director, PwC
• Debarpita Roy, Lead – Research, Centre for Public Policy on Housing and Habitat, National Institute of Urban Affairs, India
• Mahreen Mahto, Team Lead for the Sanitation Capacity Building Platform (SCBP 3.0) at the National Institute of Urban Affairs, India
• N. Mohan, Director (S&L), Bureau of Energy Efficiency
• Akash Goenka, Senior Specialist - Buildings and Urban Cooling, NRDC India
• Anil Kumar Choudhary, Chief General Manager (Technical), Energy Efficiency Services Limited
• Kiran Avadhanula, Senior Sector Specialist for Sustainable Urban Development at KfW Development Bank (India)
• Rakshada Rode, Project Lead, Sustainable Cities program at World Resources Institute India
• Dr. Teresa Kerber, Project Director, GRC, GIZ
• Vibhor Sood, Environmental Policy, Resources Efficiency Advisor, GIZ India
• Nidhi Gupta, Associate Director, Environmental Design Solutions
• Pankaj Gupta, Deputy Chief (I&D), Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council
• Vibhor Sood, Environmental Policy, Resources Efficiency Advisor, GIZ India
• Devashree Ragde, Manager- Climate Governance and Finance, C40 Cities
• Kiran Avadhanula, Senior Sector Specialist for Sustainable Urban Development at KfW Development Bank (India)

PARALLEL SESSION 5

The session aims to establish the evidence base and limits of nature-based and hybrid coastal defence approaches in India.

It will examine the technical and planning challenges of shifting from site-specific hard coastal defences to integrated, nature-based and hybrid approaches. The session will delve into looking where interventions such as mangroves, salt marshes, dunes and reefs can provide effective protection, where engineered measures remain necessary, and how these choices can be informed by local coastal dynamics, erosion patterns and ecosystem conditions. Discussion will explore coast-scale planning, community knowledge, urban infrastructure integration, and the policy, financing and institutional mechanisms needed to translate evidence into durable, context-specific solutions.

Moderator:

• Dr. Shalini Dhyani, Principal Scientist, CSIR- National Environmental Engineering Institute, Nagpur

Panellists:

• Dr. Ritesh Kumar, Director, Wetlands International South Asia
• Dr. Saudamini Das, Professor, Institute of Economic Growth, India
• Dr. Deepak Samuel V., Scientist E & Project Lead, Conservation of Coastal and Marine Resources Division (CMR), National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), India
• Dr. Rupesh K Bhomia, Director, Wetlands, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation
• Ajanta Dey, Joint Secretary and Programme Director, Nature Environment & Wildlife Society
• P Sangaradasse, Member Secretary, Town And Country Planning Department, Mahe Planning Authority, Puducherry

PARALLEL SESSION 6

This session will explore integrating public health into climate-resilient urban planning. Experiences from Indian cities and international cities along with expert insights will delve deeper to understand the approaches to embed health in master plans and Climate Resilient City Action Plans.

Welcome and Introduction:

• Avantika Arjuna, Assistant Programme Coordinator, ICLEI South Asia

Context-setting Presentation:

• Dr. Sunita Purushottam, Country Managing Director, GBPN India

MoU Exchange

Memorandum of Understanding Exchange between Global Buildings Performance Network and ICLEI- Local Governments for Sustainability, South Asia

Presentation: Healthy & Climate Resilient Affordable Housing: Experiences from Indian Cities

Presenter:

• Monali Patil, CEO, MMR Division, AVP Realty

Panel Discussion: Bridging the Gap: Health and Climate-Resilient Urban Planning

Moderator:

• Dr. Sunita Purushottam, Country Managing Director, GBPN India

Panellists:

• Thinley Namgay, Hon’ble Mayor of Samdrup Jongkhar Thromde, Bhutan
• Nirajan Jangam, Acting Mayor, Dhulikel Municipality, Nepal
• T Prateek Rao, IAS, Additional Commissioner, Gwalior Municipal Corporation
• Prof. Preeti Negandhi, Professor and Chair, JSW Centre for Climate Change and Health, Public Health Foundation of India
• Prof. Chetan Vaidya, Senior Urban Adviser

PARALLEL SESSION 7

The session aims to move from young people’s voices to policies and plans that act on them. The discussions in the session will revolve around identifying partnerships between youth, city governments, media and institutions to scale up child- and youth-focussed climate policy and also build approaches to embed youth in governance.

Welcome and introduction:

• Sayli Mankikar, Associate Director, ICLEI South Asia

Keynote Address 1 - Children and the Urban Climate Crisis: Evidence on Heat and Air Pollution, and what Child-Responsive Climate Policy requires

• Yusuf Kabir, Program Specialist - Climate and Environment, UNICEF India

Keynote Address 2 - From Framework to Practice: Embedding young people in Urban Climate Governance through the ACT Framework

• Anshul Tewari, Founder, Youth Ki Awaaz

Moderator:

• Shinjini Saha, Senior Project Officer, ICLEI South Asia

Panellists:

• Lovlesh Sharma, Head – Urban Youth Unit, National Institute of Urban Affairs, India
• Muskan Lodhi, Partnerships and Communications Manager, Bring Back Green Foundation
• Seep Agrawal, Lead - Volunteering & Strategic Partnerships, UNICEF India
• Gunjan Nanda, Co-founder, Entertainment + Culture Pavilion

Presentation by winners of the ARISE Cities Forum Youth for Climate Hackathon 2.0 | Action-Oriented Transition: Translating Resilient, Scalable, and Inclusive Solutions for Circular Cities

Felicitation of Hackathon winners with the Ritu Thakur Memorial Award

Launch: Poster Release - Early Action for Children’s Health (EACH): Towards Heat Resilience and Clean Air

Plenary 2

The session will explore the urgent need to mainstream Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and resilience into urban planning, development and institutional frameworks, with a particular focus on localised Loss & Damage (L&D) assessment. It will bring together experts and city experiences to discuss practical barriers, enabling factors and opportunities for strengthening long-term resilience through inclusive, preparedness and mitigation-oriented approaches to DRR and the scope and need for localised L&D assessment covering both economic and non-economic losses.

Introduction:

• Emani Kumar, Deputy Secretary General, ICLEI and Executive Director, ICLEI South Asia

Keynote Address:

• Amit Prothi, Director General, Coalition of Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)

Special Address:

• Rita Missal, Member, National Disaster Management Authority, India

Pre-recorded messages:

• Marco Toscano-Rivalta, Chief, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, UNDRR
• Fatemeh Bakhtiari, Senior Advisor - Climate Policy, Loss and Damage, UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre

Special Address:

• Dr. Shehnaaz Moosa, Director, SouthSouthNorth

Launches:

• Disaster Risk Reduction in Cities: A Training Manual for Local Governments in India
• Assessing and Managing Loss and Damage: Local-level evidence to inform global-level action in Gujarat, India
• Assessing and Managing Loss and Damage for Children: Local-level evidence to inform global-level action in Udaipur, India
• Global course on Urban Water Infrastructure Resilience
• Climate-Induced Disaster Resilience Planning Guidelines for Kakinada Municipal Corporation