Saitama City brings the G7 to COP29

Saitama City brings the G7 to COP29

ByAriel Dekovic

Despite cities being home to the majority of G7 citizens, local governments are not yet systematically consulted by national governments on critical decisions affecting their communities. The Urban7 (U7) is seeking to change that within the G7 group of countries.

Local government representation in international fora doesn’t end with the United Nations agendas, such as the Climate COPs. Local and regional governments are advocating for representation – especially with regards to sustainable development objectives – on multiple fronts, including the G7, G20 and other multilateral platforms. 

“Why should my Mayor attend global sustainability events?”

“Why should my Mayor attend global sustainability events?”

ByMadison Hodges

In recent years, more and more local and regional government leaders are traveling to international environmental conferences, like the annual Climate COPs or the ICLEI World Congress. These meetings provide the opportunity to discuss solutions to global and local challenges. But at the same time, the concrete value of elected leaders’ engagement can at times be difficult to grasp. What is the value for such in-person meetings? How does the community back home benefit?

The Summit of the Future: Connecting the future of multilateralism and urban sustainability

The Summit of the Future: Connecting the future of multilateralism and urban sustainability

ByAriel Dekovic

The Summit of the Future (SoF) begins on 22 September at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York. The Summit is an initiative of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (pictured above; photo credit Kiara Worth / UNFCCC) to improve the UN system and strengthen multilateralism. The high-level event brings world leaders together to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and safeguard the future.

Las ciudades pueden hacer realidad la iniciativa CHAMP

Las ciudades pueden hacer realidad la iniciativa CHAMP

ByBarbara Riedemann

Durante la sesión plenaria de clausura del Congreso Mundial ICLEI 2024, la alcaldesa Katja Dörner pidió a los líderes urbanos que se comprometan de manera proactiva con sus gobiernos nacionales y asociaciones nacionales de gobiernos locales para mejorar las NDC para 2025 y apoyar la iniciativa CHAMP.

Local leaders showcase climate, poverty reduction and partnerships at UN SDGs Forum 2024

Local leaders showcase climate, poverty reduction and partnerships at UN SDGs Forum 2024

ByICLEI Network

From 8 to 17 July in New York City, the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) convened UN Member States and representatives from civil society organizations to follow up and review progress on a subset of the 17 Global Goals, ranging from promoting gender equality to preserving biodiversity. ICLEI actively participated in this year’s Forum, which featured key events for cities and regions: The launch of the 8th Edition of the Global Taskforce’s Annual Report and the Local and Regional Governments Forum on the 2030 Agenda.

Seizing the moment: Local action to address biodiversity loss and climate change

Seizing the moment: Local action to address biodiversity loss and climate change

ByBarbara Riedemann

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.

Cities can bring CHAMP to life

Cities can bring CHAMP to life

ByBarbara Riedemann

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.

Reflections from a meeting of climate ministers with a Danish tragedy as backdrop

Reflections from a meeting of climate ministers with a Danish tragedy as backdrop

ByAnna Aaen

This piece was written by Anna Aaen, Deputy Mayor, City of Aalborg, Denmark, following the Copenhagen Climate Ministerial hosted by the city of Elsinore on 21-22 March 2024. It is a wonderful feeling to leave a meeting filled with energy and motivation. And it is even better when the meeting’s agenda is both significant and challenging – namely, global climate action at the local level.

Setting up a multilevel COP29: UN High-Level Climate Champions elevate the importance of subnationals and launch COP29 action agenda

Setting up a multilevel COP29: UN High-Level Climate Champions elevate the importance of subnationals and launch COP29 action agenda

ByMatteo Bizzotto

As the SBs continue to set the stage for COP29, global city representatives shared concrete examples of multilevel governance and partnership for enhanced climate action between national and local governments.

Catalyzing multilevel climate action: CHAMP endorsers strategize together at Daring Cities roundtable

Catalyzing multilevel climate action: CHAMP endorsers strategize together at Daring Cities roundtable

ByMatteo Bizzotto

“The climate crisis is global. But the work to address it is global, national, regional and local” – Axel Schmidt Grael, Mayor of Niterói, Brazil and Chair of the ICLEI Climate Action Support Portfolio, during the CHAMP endorser roundtable on 4 June, under the umbrella of Daring Cities Bonn Dialogues 2024.

Building climate resilience with local communities: Insights from Izmir

Building climate resilience with local communities: Insights from Izmir

ByMatteo Bizzotto

Climate adaptation is most impactful when it centers on local communities, addressing real climate impacts and ensuring the most vulnerable are informed about neighborhood actions. In Türkiye, the Climate Resilience for Communities (CRC) project in Izmir exemplifies this by uniting ICLEI, the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, the Z Zurich Foundation, and Zurich Insurance Group Türkiye to help communities understand and manage climate risks, particularly from flooding and extreme heat.