The ICLEI World Congress 2018 brought new energy and momentum to sustainable urban development. ICLEI and partners announced new initiatives and strengthened partnership to kick start implementation of the ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision. Here are some of the key announcements from the ICLEI World Congress 2018 to watch: The UN Environment Principles for Sustainable
SDG 11 is the central lever to attain all of the 17 goals outlined in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Cities are a connection point for a multiplicity of development challenges, and through integrated solutions, create opportunities for hitting on the many facets of the global sustainability agenda, from climate action to reduced inequalities. Naturally,
When Mayor Célestine Ketcha épouse Courtès spoke at the ICLEI World Congress 2018, she painted a picture of what climate change means women in her native country, Cameroon. When droughts come, she said, and villagers need to travel to collect water, it is not the men who do the walking. It is the women who bring it
It is not every day that we take the time to think about the land we stand on or how our cities came to be. But there is always a history behind the urban spaces in which we live, work and play. Many major Canadian cities are situated on lands long tied to Indigenous Peoples.
The triennial ICLEI World Congress represents a unique convening point for the growing global ICLEI network. It is a platform to take stock of our urban world – the challenges ahead of us, past success we can leverage and the path towards global urban transformation. The pace and scale of global change is unprecedented. On
From climate change to urbanization, the rate and scale of global change is unprecedented. These impacts are changing the face of everyday life and posing substantial risk to communities and natural systems. Sustainable urban development will play a decisive role in global development. As cities grow and change, so do the demands on social infrastructure,
Knowledge exchange and technical deep dives are always core elements of the annual Resilient Cities congress. The program is designed for a critical examination of emerging issues in urban resilience and informative exchanges around them. Sessions cover a diversity of topics, so that every participant can find his or her place in the conversation, from
At the end of last year, nations had submitted nine National Adaptation Plans under the UNFCCC, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Now, there are 24 submissions from the total 197 nations that have signed the treaty. Local and regional governments are moving ahead themselves to advance resilience planning. They are progressing towards the
At present, urban communities contribute up to 70 percent of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions globally. They are also among the most vulnerable hotspots for climate change impacts. It is critical that we now deploy evidence-based, science-driven to shape policy and action across urban areas worldwide. The Cities IPCC conference held this past March in Edmonton,
At COP23, the 23rd United Nations Climate Change Conference, ICLEI and GLISPA – the Global Island Partnership – launched Front-line Cities and Islands, an initiative uniting islands and coastal cities to advance resilience building. This coalition is supported by a range of regional and international agencies, including the COP23 Presidency. Initiatives like Front-line are evidence that islands and