News archives
IGES team conducted field surveys and community engagement in Ajmer (India)
As part of the collaborative project ‘Actionable Research on Circulating and Ecological Sphere (CES) Model Development to Catalyse Local-to-Global Feedback Mechanisms for Post-2030 Agenda’, IGES and the Central University of Rajasthan (India) jointly conducted the field survey and community engagement workshop ‘Exploring Agrivoltaics Potential for Circulating and Ecological Sphere in Ajmer’, in Patan and Bandar Sindri Gram Panchayats (Ajmer district, Rajasthan, India). The workshops outlined the local actions for utilising local agrivoltaic potential to realise CES based decarbonised and resilient society in the rural Rajasthan. A field visit to the Sunmaster agrivoltaics farm near Isapur (New Delhi) was conducted, to understand performance of agrivoltaics in the context of India.
IGES team co-organised the ASEAN regional workshop on localisation of net-zero
IGES and the Ministry of Environment of Cambodia co-organised the ASEAN regional workshop ‘Circulating and Ecological Sphere (CES) approach-based model for local decarbonisation and resource circulation: exploring the prospects of the ASEAN region’. The regional workshop took place in Phnom Penh (Cambodia) on June 19-20 and it brought together diverse stakeholders from ASEAN countries to establish a co-learning platform for the purpose of sharing knowledge and insights on existing practices, barriers and enabling conditions to localise decarbonisation actions and resource circulation. The workshop highlighted the need of local resource-based action plan for realising the net-zero, resilient and sustainable ASEAN region.
IGES team scoping visit to Hyogo Prefecture in Japan
For advancing actionable research on ‘Circulating and Ecological Sphere (CES) Model Development to Catalyse Local-to-Global Feedback Mechanisms for Post-2030 Agenda’, the IGES team-initiated deliberations with prominent organisations in Hyogo Prefecture, including the SEEDS Asia and Kobe City University of Foreign Studies. In alignment with the local needs and interests, emphasis is being laid on setting up a long-term shared vision for CES application and upscaling for synergistic localisation of global goals and resilient society within the context of Hyogo Prefecture.
30 July 2024
IGES team co-organized a multi-stakeholder workshop in Hachinohe (Japan)
Under a project funded by the Wellcome Trust, IGES team worked together with the Kyushu University, Hachinohe city and other collaborators to jointly organize a multi-stakeholder workshop on shaping a sustainable and healthy Hachinohe model. The workshop brought together different stakeholders in Hachinohe, and provided a shared platform for co-creating scenarios for a sustainable future.
23 July 2024
IGES-CES team co-organized a Plenary Session at the ISAP 2024
Bringing together local government representatives from Japan and overseas countries alongside international experts, IGES-CES team co-organized a plenary session at the 16th International Forum on Sustainable Asia and the Pacific (ISAP 2024). The session provided a co-learning platform to explore diverse perspectives on synergistically achieving global goals, while also addressing local needs and concerns.
23 July 2024
IGES and START International sign a MoU to continue collaboration and partnership
After completing four years of active collaboration towards advancing research and capacity building on the utilisation of CES approach for resilient city-regions in Asia, IGES and START signed a MoU to continue their joint efforts towards CES model development and capacity building of local actors in South and Southeast Asia, for bridging the local-to-global feedback loops and providing concrete inputs to Post-2030 processes.
24 June 2024
IGES team co-organized a stakeholder workshop in Ajmer, Rajasthan (India)
In cooperation with the Central University of Rajasthan (CURaj) in India, IGES team co-organized a stakeholder workshop on "Agrivoltaics-based Circulating and Ecological Sphere (CES) approach for integrated rural livelihood enhancement and net-zero city-regions" in Ajmer region of Rajasthan, India. The workshop engaged a range of stakeholders including government agencies, academic and research communities, civil societies, NGOs, and young professionals to explore actionable ways for CES application at local level.
22 March 2024
IGES team co-organized an Expert’s Consultation Workshop in Nagpur (India)
Under the Collaborative Regional Research Programme (CRRP) project funded by the Asia Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN), IGES team co-organized an expert consultation and dissemination workshop on ‘Co-designing Actionable Pathways to Mitigate Climate-induced Water Availability Impacts on Food, Energy, and Water (FEW) Security at the Regional Level’. Bringing together diverse local actors, the event also engaged the participants in participatory exercise for co-development of urban-rural partnership framework.
17-19 January 2024
IGES team co-organized the 2nd CES Regional Workshop in Thailand
IGES, in partnership with the START International, Asian Institute of Technology (AIT, Thailand), Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT, India) and Thammasat University (TU, Thailand) convened a regional workshop on climate and sustainable development actions in Asian city-regions, to explore how the integrated policy approaches and actions (like CES approach) can help address the challenge of localizing global goals. The workshop brought together the key collaborators of the CES-Asia Consortium and other regional agencies to strengthen the learning and action network in Asia.
17 January 2024
Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) joins the CES-Asia Consortium
To advance the environmental sustainability efforts in South and Southeast Asia, AIT has formally joined the CES-Asia Consortium, which was established by the IGES, START International, Inc. together with several leading academic and research institutes in South and Southeast Asia. The Consortium Agreement was signed on 17 January 2024 at the AIT Conference Center by Prof. Kazuo Yamamoto, President of AIT, Prof. Kazuhiko Takeuchi, President of IGES, and Dr. Jon Padgham, Executive Director of START Inc., who joined online.
20 December 2023
IGES team co-organized the International Workshop at Keio University, Japan
Under the Collaborative Regional Research Programme (CRRP) project funded by the Asia Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN), IGES team co-organized an international workshop on ‘Developing Urban-Rural partnerships framework to mitigate climate-induced water availability impacts on Food, Energy and Water (FEW) security at regional level’. In addition to multiple technical sessions, the event also included an interactive exercise for synthesizing the diverse perspectives on policy-level framework for urban-rural partnerships.
15 December 2023
IGES and Hachinohe City Sign Cooperation Agreement
To collaboratively address climate change and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), IGES and Hachinohe City signed of a Basic Agreement of Cooperation. Under the Agreement, Hachinohe City will support IGES research teams and partners with valuable support pertaining to the assessment of health issues, decarbonisation initiatives and enhancement of climate change policies. In forging this partnership, Hachinohe City and IGES reaffirm their commitment to spearhead initiatives that pave the way for a sustainable future.
14 June 2023
IGES team co-organized a Co-development Workshop in Nagpur, India
The Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) Nagpur and IGES worked together to organize a co-development workshop on ‘Applying the Circulating and Ecological Sphere (CES) Concept for Localization of Integrated Climate and Sustainable Development Actions in Nagpur Metropolitan Area’. The workshop brought together diverse local actors (government officials, private sector, village heads, academic and research organisations) in exploring enablers for CES application at the ground level and to determine feasible, evidence-based policy actions for enhancing coordinated urban-rural development at the regional level.
3 March 2023
IGES team co-organized a Knowledge Dissemination Workshop in Roorkee, India
Under the JSPS-ICSSR funded India-Japan bilateral project "Ecosystem centric rural revitalization: Bridging the urban-rural dichotomy toward post-COVID resilient recovery", IIT Roorkee, IGES and Keio University, co-organized a workshop on "COVID Induced Migration and Ecosystem Centric Rural Revitalization". The workshop brought together high-level government officials, academic and research organizations in dissemination of project results and exploring actionable pathways for rural revitalisation in Uttarakhand region and beyond.
27 June 2022
Workshop in Roorkee, India
Under the JSPS-ICSSR funded India-Japan bilateral project "Ecosystem centric rural revitalization: Bridging the urban-rural dichotomy toward post-COVID resilient recovery", IIT Roorkee, IGES and Keio University, co-organized a workshop on ‘COVID Impact, Rural Revitalization and Challenges of Urban-Rural Dichotomies’. Taking account of the multi-faceted impacts of COVID-19 pandemic, the workshop deliberated on the potential of ecosystem-based solutions for revitalization of rural areas and strengthening rural economy.
19 December 2023
IGES-CES team co-organized a Plenary Session at the ISAP 2023
Bringing together diverse stakeholders from different parts of Asia, such as research experts and policymakers, IGES-CES team co-organized a plenary session at the 15th International Forum on Sustainable Asia and the Pacific (ISAP 2023). Deliberating on the feasibility and potential of advancing CES to accelerate integrated climate and sustainability actions, the session sought to reveal the pathways needed to accelerate the transition to sustainability by integrating and localising actions.
20 July 2022
IGES co-organized a Side Event on at the 3rd Global Climate and SDGs Conference
At the Third Global Conference on Strengthening Synergies between the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, co-convened by UN DESA and the UNFCCC Secretariat, IGES team co-organized a side event on Applying CES Concept for Placing Urban Rural Linkages at the Core of Localization of Climate and Sustainable Development Actions. Bringing together experts from national governments, local governments, international development agencies, academia and research institutes both from Japan and overseas, the event provided a platform to exchange views on importance of integrated actions for localization of global and national goals.
17 - 18 February 2022
IGES co-organized the Regional-CES National Workshop in Philippines
As part of the APN and IGES Kansai Research Centre Joint Scoping Activity on Regional Circular and Ecological Sphere (R-CES), the 1st National Workshop was held in the Philippines on the topic "Building Climate Resiliency through Linking Rural-Urban Plans and Priorities". The workshop was conducted in close cooperation with the University of the Philippines Los Baños Interdisciplinary Studies Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Environment Management (UPLB-INREM). A total of approximately 520 participants joined during the two-day workshop, representing central and local government agencies, international organizations, universities, research institutes, private organizations, and companies.
20 - 21 October 2022
IGES co-organized the Regional-CES National Workshop in Thailand
As part of the APN and IGES Kansai Research Centre Joint Scoping Activity on Regional Circular and Ecological Sphere (R-CES), the 2nd National Workshop was held in Thailand, in close cooperation with the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT). Titled ‘Promoting R-CES: Concept for Resilient and Sustainable Communities in Thailand’, the workshop brought together approximately 45 participants from different sectors in exploring the applicability and usefulness of Regional CES in the Thailand context.
10 - 11 May 2023
IGES co-organized the Regional-CES National Workshop in Depok, Indonesia
As part of the APN and IGES Kansai Research Centre Joint Scoping Activity on Regional Circular and Ecological Sphere (R-CES), the third and last National Workshop was held in Depok City, titled ‘Strengthening Urban-Rural Linkage for Localization of SDGs through Integrated Regional Planning and Collective Actions’. Held in close cooperation with the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia and Indonesian Association of Urban and Regional Planners (IAP), the workshop examined the diverse and pressing issues of Depok City, squeezed between Jakarta, the capital and largest city of Indonesia and smaller urban centres and rural villages further south, as first-hand examples.