Isabelle Tschan

Creating cities that are more #inclusive, #responsive, and #ClimateResilient begins with understanding the needs and aspirations of the people who live in them. With support from @UNDP, @ICLEISouthAsia is implementing the Social Innovation Platform (SIP) in Tiruchirappalli to strengthen participatory urban governance and accelerate local action towards the Sustainable Development Goals (#SDGs). The initiative adopts a deep listening approach to engage communities, identify locally relevant priorities, and co-create innovative, context-specific solutions that support sustainable urban development. As part of this effort, a joint implementation review meeting between @TrichyCorp, UNDP, and ICLEI South Asia brought together city leaders and development partners to review the project's progress, reflect on early learnings, and discuss the next steps for advancing #SDGLocalisation in the city. The meeting was chaired by Thiru. Veer Pratap Singh, IAS, Commissioner, @TrichyCorp, in the presence of @istschan, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP; Meenakshi Kathel Chief Advisor, SDG Acceleration Unit, UNDP; @emanibvkumar , Executive Director, ICLEI South Asia; @SoumyaChaturv11, Director, ICLEI South Asia, and Bedoshruti Sadhukhan, Associate Director, ICLEI South Asia. Discussions focused on: 🔹Aligning community-generated ideas with the city's climate priorities to strengthen SDG localisation. 🔹Using the Social Innovation Platform to help the Urban Local Body identify priority challenges and translate citizen inputs into immediate actionable interventions. 🔹Forming an inclusive and transparent mechanism to assess ideas emerging from the Youth for Action Hackathon on women's safety and mobility, to ensure selected solutions are context-specific, participatory, and responsive to local needs. The engagement concluded with a visit to a Self-Help Group in Ward 34, where the delegation interacted with residents to better understand local priorities related to women's safety, mobility, care needs, grievance redressal mechanisms, and urban service delivery. These conversations reaffirmed the importance of grounding urban innovation in lived experiences and community knowledge. By bringing together local governments, communities, youth, and development partners, the Social Innovation Platform initiative is creating pathways for Tiruchirappalli to collaborate and strengthen its local governance and enable inclusive, climate-responsive, and citizen-centred urban development.