NEW DELHI: A nine-country ‘Global River Cities Alliance’ (GRCA) inspired by India’s River Cities Alliance was launched at the Indian Pavillion, Dubai on the sidelines of the ongoing COP28 on Sunday.

The other eight nations are Denmark, Cambodia, Japan, Bhutan, Australia, Netherlands, Egypt, and Ghana.

The National Mission for Clean Ganga, under the Jal Shakti ministry and Housing and Urban Affairs ministry’s National Institute for Urban Affairs (NIUA), will take on the role of the Secretariat of the GRCA to generate the initial momentum of the alliance activities which will include knowledge exchange, capacity development, high-level advocacy, and bi-lateral interactions among member cities.

Senior officials of multi-lateral funding agencies such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank have also pledged their support for the initiative, a statement by NIUA said.

National Mission for Clean Ganga director general G Asok Kumar said the GRCA’s launch was a testament to the fact that river management was a matter of global interest. India is happy to lead the efforts in this direction, he said, according to the statement.

The River Cities Alliance currently has 142 river cities in India and serves as a dedicated platform for members to discuss aspects related to enhancing the state of urban rivers within their administrative boundaries.

On December 8, the National Mission for Clean Ganga signed a Memorandum of Common Purpose (MoCP) with the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI), representing 124 cities/towns situated along the banks of the Mississippi River, USA. on the sidelines of COP28. As part of the collaboration, a comprehensive water monitoring program, sharing best practices for renaturing urban areas, and restoring aquatic ecosystems for sustainable urban development initiatives will be discussed.