Ahead of the First Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels (24–29 April) in Santa Marta, Colombia, local and regional governments are turning this shift into fair, workable change, from energy planning to renewables and workforce reskilling.
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.
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.
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.
As global Plastics Treaty negotiations failed to reach consensus, cities and regions cannot wait. Read four takeaways to guide local action against the plastic waste piling up daily in cities.
With only 27 new NDCs submitted by June 2025, covering just 21% of global emissions, are governments actually delivering on that promise?
ICLEI’s Town Hall COP Initiative is emerging as a powerful model to make climate action truly locally led, transformation-oriented, and, most importantly, nationally relevant.
Since launching in early 2025, the Town Hall COP Initiative has gained momentum, with 70+ local governments and civil society organizations registered to host an event. Seven cities in six countries have already hosted their events, and South Africa became the first national government to officially endorse the initiative. Read on for the latest updates on how local voices are shaping climate action ahead of COP30.
Under the umbrella of Daring Cities 2025 Bonn Dialogues, this event highlighted the importance of partnerships to deliver not just ambitious plans, but real climate action for a thriving future.
The 2nd CHAMP UNFCCC Focal Point Dialogue provided a platform for national government endorsers and their strategic partners to assess progress and guide CHAMP’s implementation toward COP30.
Mostly not. And that’s an issue, since one of the drivers of success for COP30 could be how well the NDCs 3.0 reflect and enable climate action in cities.
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.