5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement - French, German, and EU envoys visit Kochi
French, German, and EU envoys visit Kochi to mark 5-year anniversary of the Paris Agreement - “Celebrating Five years of partnership in Kochi, illustrating COP 21’s Agenda of Solutions”.
Kochi, 12 December 2020
The Ambassador of France to India, H.E. Mr Emmanuel Lenain, the Ambassador of Germany to India, H.E. Mr Walter J. Lindner and the Ambassador of the European Union to India, H.E. Mr Ugo Astuto, undertook a joint visit to the city of Kochi on Saturday, 12th December on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Kochi, as a dynamic port city and the economic capital of Kerala, is confronted with challenges common to many Indian cities and which are key in shaping India’s trajectory for sustainable development goals. Kochi also illustrates how Indo-European partnership can help address these challenges, in particular by supporting ambitious low carbon urban development policies that help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement.
During the visit, the three envoys thus visited several key sites of Kochi’s innovative, low carbon transport network. They boarded the water metro (financed by German investment bank KfW) and visited the Cochin Shipyard where the construction of a 100-seater boat is underway. Following this, the envoys took e-buses to reach Vytilla, an intermodal transport hub which connects the water metro, bus services and the Kochi metro (financed by the French Development Agency with a Technical Assistance grant from the European Union).
Kochi metro, partially inaugurated in 2017, is the first building block of an integrated mobility policy implemented by the state and local authorities. This ambitious vision, pioneered by Kochi Metro Rail (KMRL), benefits from technical and financial support from France, Germany and the European Union. It has already resulted in significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.
The envoys then witnessed a prime example of Kochi’s comprehensive urban mobility planning at Edapally station, where pedestrian and bicycle traffic is prioritised. This provided an opportunity to showcase the results of the Mobilize Your City programme (MYC), which was jointly launched at the COP 21 by the French and German governments and aimed at reducing urban transport-related emissions. Kochi is one of the cities pioneering the MYC initiative in India, with support from AFD and a funding to the tune of 3.5 million euros from the European Union.
On the last leg of the visit, the Ambassadors alighted at Muttom Depot and used e-rickshaws, which provide critical first and last mile connectivity services in Kochi’s public transport network, to reach the Muttom operations control room. KMRL representatives highlighted their groundbreaking gender and social inclusion initiatives, as well as work on flood mitigation measures, rainwater harvesting and solar power-integration.
During the visit, the envoys also held talks with mobility and urban development stakeholders, including Cochin Smart City Development Limited. Kochi is one of twelve cities benefiting from technical and financial support under Government of India’s CITIIS (City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain) programme, supported by the French Development Agency and the European Union through an e-health project.
Ahead of the visit, the three Ambassadors said:
Ambassador of France H.E. Mr Emmanuel Lenain: ‘”The close ties between France and the City of Kochi are more than two decades old. Moreover, cooperation with French Development Bank started in 2014, with two successive loans totaling more than 207 million euros. Five years on, it is truly impressive to see how our collaboration has supported the city to improve public transport, reduce emissions and create a commuter and climate-friendly city. Achieving COP 21’s Agenda of Solutions relies on broad partnership like the one built in Kochi. It is an inspiring example of what we can achieve together with India, illustrating the way to concrete actions that help meet the Paris Agreement’s goals.”
Ambassador of the European Union H.E. Mr Ugo Astuto : “As the world continues to grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic, we must not forget that the fight against climate change is an existential issue for all of us. We must work together for the full implementation of the Paris Agreement and make a success of COP 26 on climate and COP 15 on biodiversity. Tackling the impacts of this global crisis must go hand in hand with fighting climate change and combating biodiversity loss to build a greener future. Post Covid, we need to ‘build back better’ and invest in an economic model fit for the 21st century- green, digital and resilient. Cities and states also have an important role to play in shaping a sustainable world. In Kochi we see an excellent example of Team Europe in action and of the EU – India partnership for the promotion of sustainable investments in urban mobility. We look forward to further strengthening this partnership.”
Ambassador of Germany H.E. Mr Walter Lindner: “Five years ago the Paris Agreement was signed. It alone might not have been enough to save this planet for generations to come. But it was an important milestone on our way to a greener future. We all have to make sure now, whether we are in Europe or in India, wherever we are on this planet, that we take stock regularly. We increase our ambitions, we set ourselves goals which ensure that it is five to twelve and not five past twelve. Covid has shown us that cleaner air and a cleaner environment indeed is possible. What we need now is a greener restart to our economies. Let’s make this happen, let’s keep the promise to our children and grandchildren. Let’s make this world a better place, let’s make this world a greener place.”