Insuring our future: Strengthening disaster resilience in Latin America and the Caribbean

In November 2023, the Urban Infrastructure Insurance Facility (UIIF) Project hosted its first in-person event in San José, Costa Rica. The gathering brought together representatives from various Latin American and Caribbean cities and ICLEI, united by a common goal: To enhance their understanding and management of natural disasters. The dialogue was a melting pot of 

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Local Initiatives Leading the Way in Plastic Waste Reduction: Exploring Japan’s Progressive Activities towards INC-3

Co-Authors: Okayama City, Kitakyushu City and Toyama City 1 Background Countries agreed to establish a binding global plastics treaty by 2024 at the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA5.2). The initiative was prompted by the fact that 60% of plastic pollution flows from urban areas into the oceans, harming marine biodiversity. Japan, which is surrounded by 

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Addressing the climate crisis in socially unequal areas: Global funds, poverty eradication and risk management

This blog has been written by Alessia Salamon from the Resilient Development team, and edited by Matteo Bizzotto, from the Global Communications team at ICLEI World Secretariat It is widely recognized that the impacts of the climate crisis are not evenly felt across the world. In fact, developing countries and cities often lack appropriate coping 

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Fighting climate change in Pakistan: The case of Karachi

This blog was written by Izzah Sheikh and edited by Sajili Oberoi and Matteo Bizzotto, from ICLEI World Secretariat Karachi, one of the most populated cities in the world and the financial capital of Pakistan, is strongly committed to accelerated climate action. Like many other industrial cities, Karachi faces problems that are further exacerbated by 

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Enhancing local climate action: Moving toward greater and greener resilience 

This blog post was written by Dewi Sari and Kanak Gokarn with contributions from the Resilient Development and Sustainable Energy teams of ICLEI World Secretariat. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has brought renewed attention to the close connections between our natural environments, economies, and human well-being. While cities have been contending with the immediate health impacts 

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TUMI E-Bus Mission aims to electrify public transit across the Global South

Main photo: [Left to right] Rohan Modi, advisor for Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ); Tu My Tran, Head of Sustainable Mobility, ICLEI World Secretariat; and Philip Turner, Head of Sustainable Development at International Association of Public Transport (UITP), discuss the potential for expanding electric buses through the TUMI E-Bus Mission City Network at the 

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How Malmö is using innovative procurement as a tool for circular development

By Lucas Dietrichson, Communication Strategist, City of Malmö and Everica Rivera, Communications Officer, ICLEI World Secreteriat The  City of Malmö is one of Sweden’s biggest public purchasers.  Through smart procurement, the city has been able to contribute to sustainable development and support circular thinking. Here are three examples: 1. Raising the bar for sustainable IT 

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ICLEI and Google.org launch case studies on data-driven climate action

Written by Beatriz Fonseca and Everica Rivera As part of the Data-Driven Climate Action project, ICLEI has launched four case studies about how data-driven decision-making is helping cities to plan, implement and monitor climate change mitigation initiatives. With the support of Google.org, the project provides valuable data to assist local and regional governments in the 

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Helsinki Streetscape with a truck at sunrise

How Helsinki cut food transport emissions using sustainable procurement

The City of Helsinki’s Palvelukeskus Helsinki (Helsinki Service Center) provides food for over 100,000 people every day. Schools, daycare centers and nursing homes in different parts of the city all receive food from the Service Center, which is responsible for both producing and delivering food. The largest production plant is in Pakkala, Vantaa, which delivers 

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Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds

Anna Reynolds, Lord Mayor of Hobart, Australia, on the special role of capital cities in combating climate change

The capital cities are Australia’s best-known cities, and they are the economic engines of the country, so they have an important role to play in tackling climate change and working with the national government, the Lord Mayor from Hobart related in a recent interview.