BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov.4
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) welcomes more Azerbaijani cities’ joining its Green Cities program, Kamola Makhmudova, EBRD head in Azerbaijan, said in an exclusive interview with Trend.
“We are very pleased that Ganja joined EBRD Green Cities in 2020, the first city in Azerbaijan to take part in the program. Investments in improving solid-waste management and introducing more efficient street lighting will form part of the Bank’s initial engagement with the city of Ganja under the initiative. In parallel, the city will develop its own GCAP, identifying local environmental challenges and putting forward a plan to tackle these through policy interventions and sustainable infrastructure investments. We welcome other eligible cities in Azerbaijan to join EBRD Green Cities so that they, too, can benefit from green investments, become part of a growing network of cities and improve their green performance,” she said.
Makhmudova noted that the Bank is actively promoting green investment in the infrastructure sector.
“Cities in the EBRD regions face numerous challenges, such as demographic change, inadequate investment in infrastructure, poor air quality and historical legacies of energy and carbon intensity. To address these challenges, the Bank developed the EBRD Green Cities program, which helps build a better and more sustainable future for cities and their residents,” she said.
Makhmudova went on to add that with a total of more than €3 billion in EBRD and donor funding, the program builds on the Bank’s track record in helping cities invest in sustainable municipal infrastructure through targeted projects, policy actions and capacity-building.
“For each member city, the EBRD supports – through donor funding – the preparation of a Green City Action Plan (GCAP) that benchmarks the city’s environmental performance, identifies environmental priorities and defines the measures (namely, investments and policy actions) that must be taken in order to address these. To date, 51 cities in the Bank’s regions have joined the program, with more than €1.1 billion already invested in sustainable infrastructure and with 70 million residents benefiting from green investments.”
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