Context:
Launch of Global River Cities Alliance at the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 in Dubai in 2023.
News Highlights:
- National Mission for Clean Ganga signed a Memorandum of Common Purpose (MoCP) with Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI)
- MRCTI – Represents 124 cities/towns situated along banks of Mississippi River, USA.
- India’s River Cities Alliance (RCA) – expanded to membership of 267 global river-cities including India (142 River cities), USA and Denmark.
Global River Cities Alliance (GRCA):
- An India-led initiative inspired by India’s ‘River Cities Alliance’ (RCA)
- Launched by – National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)
- Secretariat –
- NMCG under Jal Shakti Ministry
- National Institute for Urban Affairs (NIUA) under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
- Aim – To empower global efforts towards river conservation and sustainable water management.
- Membership –
- 9 countries (Indian, Denmark, Cambodia, Japan, Bhutan, Australia, Netherlands, Egypt, and Ghana).
- 142 Indian River cities, river cities of Den Haag from the Netherlands, Adelaide from Australia, and Szolnok of Hungary joined the Global River Cities Alliance.
- Supported by –
- World Bank
- Asian Development Bank
- Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
- Activities – Water monitoring program, sharing best practices for renaturing urban areas, and restoring aquatic ecosystems for sustainable urban development initiatives will be discussed.
About NMCG:
- Registered as a society in 2011 under Societies Registration Act 1860.
- Acts as implementation arm of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) which was constituted under Environment (Protection) Act (EPA) 1986.
River Cities Alliance (RCA):
- Collaborative effort of NMCG and NIUA
- Launched by – Ministry of Jal Shakti + Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
- Who can join the alliance?
- Open to all river cities of India
- Any river city can join the Alliance at any time.
- 3 broad themes – Networking, Capacity Building and Technical Support.
- Objectives –
- Minimizing their water footprint
- Reducing impacts on river and water bodies
- Capitalizing on natural, intangible, architectural heritage and associated services
- Develop self-sufficient, self-sustainable water resources through recycle, reuse strategy.
Source: Indian Express
Previous Year Question
With reference to ‘Global Climate Change Alliance’, which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. It is an initiative of the European Union.
2. It provides technical and financial support to targeted developing countries to integrate climate change into their development policies and budgets.
3. It is coordinated by World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2017 Prelims]
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (a)
Explanation:
There is no mention of WRI and WBCSD at the official partner’s page of GCCA, even though a lot of other institutions are mentioned like FAO, UNDP etc.
