The Banyuwangi district of East Java has become a candidate for the Smart Green ASEAN Cities (SGAC) development programme supported by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), according to reporting from Antara News.
A UNCDF team visited the district and held a number of discussions with the Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), the Environment Office, and the Communication, Information, and Encryption Office, Banyuwangi’s assistant for economy and development, Dwi Yanto, explained on Wednesday.
“The UNCDF team visited Banyuwangi in early March to follow up on a meeting in Bangkok last year in which Banyuwangi was invited,” Yanto said.
Banyuwangi, East Java, and Banyumas, Central Java, have been selected by the Environment and Forestry Ministry to be pilots for the SGAC project, he added.
“Banyuwangi district head Ipuk Fiestiandani thanked the Ministry of Environment and Forestry for choosing Banyuwangi as a pilot project. Of course, we will use this to support sustainable development programmes here, such as waste handling,” Yanto said.
Meanwhile, UNCDF advisor Fakri Karim said that his team discussed the scoping mission and collecting data related to funding support for cities selected as SGAC pilots in Banyuwangi, say Antara News.
“The scoping mission was carried out to obtain comprehensive knowledge and understanding regarding the capacity and readiness of candidate cities. We collected data from the discussion results, what programmes deserve our support,” he explained.
Smart Green ASEAN Cities is a regional priority programme that supports the implementation and realization of environment-friendly cities in Southeast Asia.
Antara News explain that the programme, which was implemented by UNCDF and funded by the European Union, encourages regions in ASEAN to address urban environment and climate change governance issues by focusing on smart solutions through digitalization and the use of technology.
In 2016, Banyuwangi received the Indonesia Green Awards for its commitment and policy that prioritize environmental maintenance and preservation. The 2016 Indonesia Green Awards were organized by the La Tofi School of CSR in collaboration with the Ministry of Forestry and Environment and the Industry Ministry.
Source: Antara News
