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The SWITCH-Asia Programme will be conducting a series of “Internal thematic consultative and brainstorming meetings” as part of 2021-mid-2022 activities and through joint efforts with partner countries and key organisations in the region. In this regard, the 2021 EU SWITCH-Asia Internal Thematic Meeting on Sustainable Housing and Buildings will be held on 10 March 2021, from 15:00 to 17:00 Bangkok time, through WEBEX platform.
The building and housing sector is among the most resource-intensive and economically important sectors globally. Drastically reducing the emissions of buildings and construction is a determining factor for achieving the below-2° goal set forth in the Paris Agreement. Adequate housing is a basic human need, and defined by the UN as a human right; it is therefore a key priority for social and development agendas nationally and globally. From an individual’s perspective housing is one of the key determinants of perceived quality of life and also shapes numerous other consumption decisions. For all these reasons, the housing and building sector is a keystone topic of SCP.
Cities offer potentially great sustainability benefits due to their density; this allows for infrastructure to be used efficiently and creating economies of scale for the provisioning of services in line with the SDGs, such as health, water and education. Better managed density lowers per capita land use, freeing up space for agriculture and protected areas. At the same time, housing for middle and higher incomes in cities can lead to above-average material consumption, resource use and carbon footprints, if they are not optimized for sustainability.
For Asian countries to achieve more sustainable consumption and production patterns in the building and housing sector, it is important to make use of diverse experiences and adapt these to local realities. Partnerships between Asian countries and the EU can bring needed mutual inspiration and create shared expertise. By jointly exploring how housing and buildings can play a key part in the transition to circularity and SCP, professionals from Asia and the EU can identify shared visions for the future and their local implementation priorities. This discussion can focus on governance issues as well as technological innovations, and encompass human-centred urban planning, infrastructure and technology.
The EU SWITCH-Asia Programme provides the platform for partnerships and networks in between Europe and Asia for the implementation of national strategies and action plans and implementation of SCP practices to transition towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient and a more circular economy while contributing to poverty reduction.
The objective of the meeting is to strengthen cooperation and partnerships in delivering activities through the three SWITCH-Asia components, involving the Country EU Delegations, the National Focal Points within Ministry of partner countries together with SWITCH-Asia implementing Ministry in case different, the Grant projects, and selected partner organisations, to ensure cross-border exchange of experiences and larger impact.
The meeting will focus on the SWITCH-Asia achievements in promoting SCP in the building and housing sector through SME-focused grants and technical assistance provided to countries. The discussion will be on the role of stakeholders on how to scale up success stories from grants and support initiatives to foster innovative solutions and to address challenges that the sector is facing including the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Presentations available here
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