L-R: Mr. Suhail Nathani, Chairman AKHA India, Mr. Abhijit Ghorpade, Director, State Climate Action Cell, Govt. of Maharashtra, Ms. Prerana Langa, CEO, AKAH India, Mr. Onno Ruhl, General Manager, AKAH, Mr. Sunil Pota, Executive Director (Operations), MAHAPreit
Mumbai, November 23, 2023. The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) India initiated the Climate Action Workshop Series titled 'Towards Net-Zero: Building Climate Resilience' in Mumbai. The series aims to establish a platform for community-centered and ecosystem-based approaches to enhance climate resilience. This kickstarts conversations with business communities, capital markets, and nonprofits to accelerate integrated climate actions.
The event gathered government officials, environmental organizations, policymakers, and CSR professionals, fostering diverse knowledge exchange and unique perspectives from various industries.
In the keynote address, Mr. Sunil Pote, Executive Director (Operations), MAHAPreit, discussed AKAH’s ongoing partnership with MAHAPreit on developing city-level models to strengthen Urban Habitat Risk Resilience. Mr. Onno Ruhl, General Manager, Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, explored global trends in climate action in conversation with Mr. Govindraj Ethiraj, Journalist-Founder IndiaSpend.org and The Core. Mr. Ramarao S. V., IFS, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Maharashtra Forest Department, Govt. of Maharashtra, addressed new frameworks for mangrove restoration and supporting livelihoods. Mr. Abhijit Ghorpade, Director, State Climate Action Cell, Govt. of Maharashtra, highlighted the Govt. of Maharashtra criteria for transforming city-infrastructure to be more environment-friendly.
The workshop centered on three panel topics: Building Climate Resilient Liveable Cities, Building Coastal Resilience through Nature Based Solutions, and Future of Carbon Sequestration. Discussions covered institutional funding requirements, the significance of sustained funds, and ecosystem-based adaptations to address urban challenges. Emphasizing the importance of community participation, the workshop highlighted the need for inclusive approaches, enabling infrastructure, and fostering climate-friendly behavior.
Following a successful workshop in Mumbai,Prerana Langa, CEO, Aga Khan Agency for Habitat India, said, “AKAH is dedicated to long-term, transformative solutions by strengthening capacity, ensuring enabling infrastructure, and supporting local community to thrive despite climate change. Through this series, we are engaging with business communities to leverage each other’s strengths for collective impact. AKAH is committed to setting nature-based goals, measuring progress, and providing guidance to our partners and drive innovation at scale.”
AKAH actively contributes to crafting ecosystem-based models dedicated to mitigating climate-induced disasters in cities, promoting coastal restoration, and conserving biodiversity. Through programs in disaster risk reduction, housing improvement, urban heat mitigation, coastal restoration, biodiversity, and climate change, water security, AKAH provides technical expertise to communities to thrive in a changing climate.
