Over 100 participants from around the globe were trained to combat the climate change
Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) in collaboration with the European Union (EU) and the Secretariat of Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) hosted the inaugural GCoM event in Iskandar Malaysia as it is fast becoming a global leader in climate action.
Held for 3-days, the event was an extension of the outreach that previously took place at the World Urban Forum in Kuala Lumpur in February 2018. The first from overall four trainings are scheduled to take place in Malaysia within 2019.
GCoM is a platform for international alliance of cities and local governments that shares the long-term vision of promoting and supporting voluntary action in fighting the worrying climate change and also to move to a low emission and resilient society.
Aligning with the Paris Agreement on climate change, the EU is supporting the implementation of the GCoM in Asia through the International Urban Cooperation (IUC) programme.
“We will ensure significant involvement together with the over 9,000 cities around the world in the fight against global warming and climate change,” said Tan Hong Pin Chairman of State Local Government, Science and Technology Committee.
Iskandar Malaysia’s development continues to be guided by the Circle of Sustainability, a holistic and resilient ecosystem where economic, social and environmental agendas are of equal importance and receive equal attention.
“With this in mind, the Iskandar Malaysia Low Carbon Society (LCS) Blueprint was developed to reduce Iskandar Malaysia’s carbon intensity by 58% by 2025 compared to the 2005 level, and create a greener, more sustainable yet economically dynamic environment,” said Datuk Ismail Ibrahim, Chief Executive of IRDA.
The GCoM training was provided to 60 representatives from local governments and authorities in Malaysia. The activity was supported by IUC Asia and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre as well as the United Cities and Local Government in Asia-Pacific, the CDP Network, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and UN Habitat.
