Samarkand and Dnipro join EBRD Green Cities

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The Uzbek and Ukrainian cities set out ambitions for low-carbon future.

Samarkand and Dnipro have become the first Uzbek and sixth Ukrainian members of the European Bank of Reconstruction’s (EBRD) €3bn Green Cities programme.

Samarkand, one of the oldest inhabited cities in Central Asia, is the first city in Uzbekistan to boost its urban sustainability planning by joining the flagship programme while Uzbekistan targets carbon neutrality by 2050.

Upon joining the sustainability programme, cities undertake a trigger project with EBRD finance. In Samarkand’s case this is expected to be an investment in electric buses. The city will also draft a Green City Action Plan, setting out further actions to improve the local environment.

The Ukrainian city of Dnipro, a major industrial centre, will use its trigger project to focus on tackling air pollution by upgrading its public transport infrastructure with a loan from the EBRD.

Globally, cities account for three-quarters of greenhouse gas emissions and represent a major opportunity to tackle climate change. EBRD Green Cities, set up in 2016, helps each member city tailor solutions to its environmental needs with a unique combination of measures designed to move towards a lower-carbon and more liveable future.

While two new cities are just starting out on their programme of change, older members continue to report progress and this week the Serbian city of Belgrade has announced the adoption of its own green city action plan and sustainable energy and climate action plan – setting 16 strategic objectives covering urban planning and mobility, investment in energy and efficiency and better management of water and waste.