Jakarta Hosts the Launch of CRIC Project for Indonesia and Asia Pacific

The first action that must be done is action plan and its governance, as well as how the city can improve the resilience of the climate

Jakarta hosted the launch of the Climate Resilience and Inclusive Cities (CRIC) project for the Indonesia and the Asia Pacific regions initiated by the European Union (EU) in collaboration with the Association of United Cities and Local Governments Asia Pacific (UCLG ASPAC).

This project was expected to develop specific strategies for local governments to form cities that are resilient to climate change.

City-ICLEI to Accelerate Greenhouse Emission Gas Reduction in Jakarta

The project launch event was conducted by Dr. Ruandha Sugardiman as the Directorate General of Climate Change for Environment and Forestry Minister Dr. Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi as Secretary General of UCLG ASPAC; and Hans Farnhammer represented H.E. Vincent Piket, European Union Ambassador to Indonesia, at Great Hall, Jakarta City Hall, on Wednesday (1/29).

It was attended by more than 80 representatives of 20 local governments in Indonesia, ministries, local and national level Regional Development Agencies, partner organizations and academic institutions.

In the speech of H.E. Vincent Piket, European Union Ambassador to Indonesia read by Hans Farnhammer, Head of the European Union Delegation Cooperation Section for Indonesia, cities were the main contributor to carbon dioxide emissions, mainly from energy use for cooking, cooling, industry, transportation and heating, which contribute up to 70% of global CO2 emissions. Therefore, mitigation and adaptation programs were important to block the negative impacts of climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"People living in urban areas are increasingly at risk from natural disasters and are affected by climate-related events. It causes a concentration of risk, as the location that contributes most to economic development is too risky. But if it is managed well, cities that are resilient, inclusive and use resources efficiently will trigger our cities to be resilient to climate, low carbon, contribute well to the level of local life and be globally sustainable," he expressed, as quoted by Jakarta PPID's press release.

While Dr. Ruandha Sugardiman went on to say that the project had a very significant impact and helped Indonesia achieve emissions reductions in the context of meeting the national determined contribution.

She mentioned that Indonesia was capable of reducing emission by 29 percent of its own efforts and funds and could increase to 41 percent if there was international support.

"The first action that must be done is action plan and its governance, as well as how the city can improve the resilience of the climate. With this project, we expect to create these instruments thus our city has a clear action plan to reduce emissions," he explained.

UCLG ASPAC General Secretary Dr. Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi also asserted, besides increasing inter-city networks and human resource capacity, the project was also supporting sustainable city resilience. The city should be able to demonstrate preparedness for any problems, natural disasters and disasters, including transportation, waste management, waterways, residential areas, including epidemics from diseases caused by climate change.

"So, we have a technology exchange and a best on practice sharing. This is not about a plan, but also an execution. The local governments can also allocate their budget, how to minimize the risks of disasters, especially floods, then there are also volcanic issues, other natural disasters," he explained.

Jakarta Deputy Governor for Civil Registration and Settlement Suharti uttered it would support Jakarta's efforts to achieve sustainable development goals. Further, the city was currently integrating sustainability and resilience into all elements of urban management in managing water, waste, mobility, and also the consumption and production processes that occur in the city.

"We very appreciate the experience exchange and open dialogue activities to adjust the project and enrich our perspective on the challenges of climate resilience faced by cities in Indonesia, especially Jakarta. We're also committed to putting inclusiveness at the center of policy making. Not only ensuring the most vulnerable parties affected will benefit from our collective actions, but placing them as subjects from which we can learn about sustainable ways of life," she explained.

With EU funding of 3.2 million Euros (around Rp 49 billion), the project in the next five years would work to overcome the multi-dimensional challenges faced by cities and local governments in improving climate resilience.

The main focus was about to fix institutional, financial and administrative capacity of cities and local officials through peer-to-peer learning and knowledge exchange activities, develop local action plans for climate resilience and inclusive cities, as well as communication and capacity building training activities.

There would be various facilities used, including research, capacity building, advocacy campaigns, the making of knowledge centers and cooperation between countries in Europe, Southeast Asia and South Asia.