Advance nature based low-carbon solutions towards building carbon neutral and nature positive smart city of Kutaisi.

Local working group meeting assembled in Kutaisi municipality on 26th December highlighted the crucial role of nature-based solutions in tackling climate change and agreed on joint action to achieve sustainable urban development in Kutaisi. 

 “Kutaisi city is facing a double crisis in form of climate change and nature degradation and nature-based solutions provide the most affective approach in addressing both of these interlinked challenges” proposed the mayor of Kutaisi municipality, Ioseb Khakhaleishvili.

The working group meeting was organised in the frame of the GEF-funded project “Low Carbon Solutions through Nature-Based Urban Development for Kutaisi City”. Relevant local stakeholders discussed the objectives, planned activities and detailed work plan of the project and exchanged knowledge on challenges, lessons learnt and way forward.

The goal of the project is to enable a transformative shift towards sustainable urban development within and outside of Kutaisi city by strengthening planning and institutional frameworks, demonstrating and scaling-up investment in integrated low-carbon electric solutions in transport and sustainable land management practices. The project has three components:

1.  Strengthening planning and institutional frameworks enabling sustainable development in the City of Kutaisi;
2. Facilitating investment in low-emission electric public transportation and green city development;
3. Capacity development, knowledge management and M&E for integrated low-carbon city development.

The working group agreed on the following activities being implemented during the first year of the project:

• Creation of town planning schemes of the municipality in order to regulate sustainable land use;
• Development of the municipality’s low-emission development strategy and integrated sustainable urban transport plan;
• Mapping of hot spots and identification of trends and causes of land degradation;
• Implementation of demonstration projects for the promotion of low-emission transport and sustainable land management;
• Development of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) concept based on feasibility study and analysis;
• Strengthening the capabilities of municipality employees for the development of a low-carbon smart city.

The project was initiated by the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia and is implemented with the financial support of the Global Environmental Fund (GEF). The project is implemented by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) through the Caucasus Regional Environmental Center (REC-Caucasus). The direct beneficiary of the project is Kutaisi City Hall.