Noida to participate in UN’s Global Sustainable Cities 2025 initiative

The United Nations on Sunday officially selected Uttar Pradesh’s Noida and Greater Noida to participate in its Global Sustainable Cities 2025 initiative, in the “University City” category, the UN officials said.

The twin-cities will become a member of its initiative which aims to create 25 model cities across the world that will be fully compliant with the sustainable development goals by 2025, the officials said.

In the “University City” category, Noida-Greater Noida will be competing with elite university cities, including Cambridge of England, Palo Alto of California and Heidelberg in southwestern Germany, said the official.

“The twin-cities in Gautam Buddh Nagar district, adjoining the national capital, have been selected in the “University City” category ahead of Mumbai and Bengaluru, which were also under UN consideration for the initiative, as the only invitee from India, “a senior UN official said.

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 “Noida (along with Greater Noida) has been formally invited to participate in this showcase ‘Race to Sustainability’ among 25 global cities to become fully compliant with the Sustainable Development Goals by 2025 under the UN Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) cities initiative,” Senior UN Advisor and CEO UN Global Sustainability Index Institute (UNGSII) Roland Schatz told reporters.

“It is a matter of immense pleasure and great pride that the United Nations has invited Noida and Greater Noida to participate in its Global Sustainable Cities 2025 initiative,” BJP Uttar Pradesh General Secretary Pankaj Singh tweeted.

It is a matter of immense pleasure and great pride that the United Nations has invited Noida and Greater Noida to participate in its Global Sustainable Cities 2025 initiative.1/2

— पंकज सिंह (@pksbjp) November 25, 2018

Schatz formally extended the invitation Sunday to Gautam Buddh Nagar District Magistrate Brajesh Narain Singh in the presence of Shubhro Sen, the principal advisor, India, SDG Initiative, and Ajay Davessar, Advisor to UNGSII India.

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In September 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that includes 17 SDGs, otherwise known as the Global Goals, a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

Schatz highlighted that the SDG cities initiative will lead to an unprecedented inflow of global knowledge, resources and capacity-building into Noida and Greater Noida via various UN agencies, partners and corporate supporters.

The SDGs, otherwise known as the Global Goals, are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

According to the official invitation letter, agreeing to the invitation for the long-term project would entitle Noida-Greater Noida for a “multi-million US dollars finance and implementation know-how for each of the 17 SDGs along the defined KPIs (key performance indicators),” among other benefits.

Shcatz said the goal is to work together with other participating university cities like Cambridge, Palo Alto, Trondheim, Espoo and Heidelberg to create Sustainability Innovation and Research Hubs.

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“We need to get Noida on the map not only in India but all over the world because if the United Nations is managing together every person on the planet to reach these so-called SDG by 2030, we need to understand and learn from each other,” Shcatz said.

 “This is a proud moment for Noida and Greater Noida to be selected for this exciting global showcase. Now I will forward this invitation to the Uttar Pradesh government which is very positive about development works,” said District Magistrate Singh.

According to an official report, 25 cities will be selected which will serve as role models for other cities in the world towards achieving the SDG 2030 goal.

(With PTI inputs)