Many local governments still struggle to access affordable, long-term capital at scale. Green finance can help - when it is embedded in systems and treated as an institutional responsibility.

Municipalities pool their borrowing needs, present a combined credit profile to capital markets, issue bonds collectively, and lend the proceeds to member municipalities at lower cost.

Identifying equity challenges creates better opportunities to build communities where benefits and burdens are fairly shared. Indicators that reflect geographic, social, and economic realities highlight where injustices exist so local governments can focus their efforts effectively.

Through ICLEI’s Transformative Actions Program, UrbanShift cities across Asia, Africa, and Latin America are strengthening project design, financial planning, and investor engagement to move from concept to capital.

As more people settle in urban areas, mobility and urban governance become increasingly interconnected. Cities in the Malmö Commitment are integrating mobility into long-term planning for social inclusion, economic vitality and demographic sustainability.

From rural mobility services to neighborhood climate hubs, these cities — on the island of Taiwan and in Germany — show how climate action designed with local organizations can improve daily life, deliver social benefits, and advance climate goals.

For better or worse, the year ahead brings a mix of reforms, political shifts and global milestones that will shape how urban sustainability agendas are governed and delivered. Here’s what local and regional governments should be on the lookout for this year.

While climate resilience assessment tools help cities understand their risks, adaptation projects often need a final push to become a viable investment opportunity.

Owning a car is a common aspiration for many Filipinos. But they also believe their cities can be more walking- and cycling-friendly in the future. The SPARK project helped turn that vision into action in Quezon City and Pasig City through tactical urbanism interventions that made streets safer and more accessible for active mobility.

Every year, ICLEI works with local and regional governments, partners, leaders and other experts to develop and publish state-of-the-art, context-specific...

As co-focal point of the Local Authorities Major Group, ICLEI ensures cities’ and regions’ voices are represented in the UNEA process, with subnationals calling for stronger synergies with the Rio Conventions and other Multilateral Environmental Agreements.

"During the so-called 'implementation COP', the absence of commitments on issues related to urbanization is not a mere technical detail – it is a symptom of a structural gridlock in climate multilateralism. Is the game, then, already lost?" reflects Philip Yang, Special Envoy of the COP30 Presidency for Urban Solutions, in this special guest op-ed.

Insights from the second in-person workshop series of the Kaohsiung-ICLEI Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Community of Practice.

Developed under the AfriFOODlinks project, the Cultivate Marketplace is a city-led initiative designed to transform how municipalities and funders meet, learn from each other, and build investable pathways together.

This blog was written by Jannis Niethammer and co-authored by Emily West and Daniel Botha from ICLEI Europe. Climate action...

Brazil’s pioneering multilevel coordination effort is reshaping multilevel governance and collaboration at home and inspiring global pathways. From the beginning, the intention of this group was to bring climate federalism to life: National, state, and local actors aligning positions, sharing knowledge, and building a unified narrative that could travel from the streets of Brazilian cities to the negotiation rooms of the UNFCCC.

As a signatory to the Climate Champions’ Food Systems Call to Action, ICLEI’s Global CityFood Program will showcase city-led solutions and its commitment to a just transition and collective action across several COP30 events.

Local and regional governments are paying attention to the multilateral oceans agenda because of the myriad ways life in coastal cities, towns and regions depends on the health and sustainability of our oceans.

Born from the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, these three multilateral environmental agreements have shaped how the international community approaches global environmental challenges.

What if your coffee cup or takeout container didn’t end up in the trash, but went back into circulation, reducing waste, cutting emissions, and sparking local innovation and green jobs? Explore lessons from the Circular City Labs project.

As grants become scarcer, subnational governments can use Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to overcome funding gaps and drive sustainable, inclusive infrastructure.

The Kaohsiung–ICLEI Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Community of Practice delivered its first in-person capacity-building workshop series, providing strategic tools to advance urban transformation through circular development and agenda-serving innovation.

Urban growth is shrinking natural habitats, but cities also hold the key to reversing biodiversity loss. As epicenters of change, local governments have the power to turn the tide. Here are 10 reasons why they should act now.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government, Republic of Korea, has implemented a comprehensive set of ambitious initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with a particular focus on transportation and building efficiency.

On 13 March 2025, Greater Sydney hosted one of the first Town Hall COPs for 2025 - part of a growing global effort to place local priorities at the center of national and international climate decision-making.

Looking ahead to COP30, what cities and regions do in advance of this global climate summit may matter more than the conference itself. On the road to Belém, local and regional governments have a unique opportunity to engage with their national governments, shift the trajectory of the climate emergency, and push for inclusive, multilevel climate action.

Building on the unprecedented COP28's multilevel action momentum and with the upcoming COP16 and COP29 by year-end, cities and regions have an actual window of opportunity to amplify their voices in the global climate discussions. At the ICLEI World Congress 2024 plenary, “From Global to Local to Global: Shaping the Future of Sustainability,” mayors and climate leaders emphasized that now is the time for local and regional governments to push for unified, cross-government action to achieve the urgently needed transformations toward a sustainable world.

During the ICLEI World Congress 2024 closing plenary on 21 June, Katja Dörner, Mayor of Bonn, Germany, and chair of the Climate Action Governance Portfolio for the ICLEI Global Executive Committee, called on urban leaders to proactively engage with their national governments and local government associations to enhance NDCs by 2025 and support CHAMP. National associations of local governments – under the leadership of ICLEI governance Members - in Germany, Brazil, and the U.S. have pledged to CHAMP, pioneering a global movement to push for stronger local involvement in national climate plans.

From June 18 to 21, over 1,500 global attendees converged in São Paulo, Brazil, to celebrate the vital role of international networks in connecting cities, towns, regions, and communities. During the Congress' closing plenary, ICLEI leaders underscored the power of collaboration and knowledge exchange in advancing local sustainability efforts and tackling shared challenges, propelling the much-needed global transformations.

Amazonian cities are diverse in opportunities and needs. The region’s biodiversity is amongst the world’s most important but its cities’ sustainability challenges are less well-known. These jurisdictions require financial support and capacity building to create sustainable, conservation-oriented, equitable, nature-based spaces with circular development. At the ICLEI World Congress, mayors from this region convened to amplify the voices of these unique cities.

Wrapping COP30, and as the world now moves from negotiations to implementation, the need to transform ambition into measurable, investable...

Seoul is finding clean energy where most cities don’t look: Underground geothermal power, sewage-to-electricity systems, and solar built into windows, walls, and façades. With little land to spare, Seoul is proving that climate solutions can be bold and still blend seamlessly into everyday urban life.

The Urban Infrastructure Insurance Facility (UIIF), introduces an innovative way for cities in Latin America and the Caribbean to access climate adaptation financing, including the insurance market, collectively pool risk, and protect critical infrastructure and vulnerable populations.

How chemicals from dry cleaning add harmful gases to the air, and how the city is switching to cleaner machines, tougher pollution rules, and smarter city policies to help everyone breathe easier.

World Food Day, on 16 October, lands with new urgency to work together for better food and a better future. Answer the call to collaborate across governments, sectors, institutions, and communities, our global ICLEI CityFood Program and network cities are advancing actions for healthy people, landscapes, and climate. After all, cities thrive when their food systems do.

On 10 October, World Mental Health Day, is a reminder that urban environments, climate resilience, and social connections profoundly shape wellbeing, and that local governments play a critical role in safeguarding it.