What NDCs 3.0 are (and aren’t) saying about multilevel, inclusive climate action
With only 27 new NDCs submitted by June 2025, covering just 21% of global emissions, are governments actually delivering on that promise?
Advocacy & diplomacy Global Advocacy ICLEI organization Multilevel governance Zero emission Development
Can local climate dialogues really shape national climate action? The Town Hall COP Initiative is trying to prove they can
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.
Chengdu hosts regional UrbanShift Academy to help cities shape climate goals
As national governments are preparing their next round of Nationally Determined Contributions, their success depends heavily on actions taken at the local level.
Mind the Gap: How youth fall between presence and power in urban governance
This op-ed guest article argues that youth participation in urban governance must move beyond symbolism to real power, especially in the Global South.
Advocacy & diplomacy Daring Cities 2025 Global Advocacy Multilevel governance Zero emission Development
From Bonn to Belém: How national commitments and cities together can deliver a climate-ready future
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.
Advocacy & diplomacy Climate mitigation Daring Cities 2025 Global Advocacy Multilevel governance Zero emission Development
From fragmentation to structure: CHAMP helps scaling climate action across all levels
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.
Advocacy & diplomacy Climate mitigation Global Advocacy Multilevel governance Zero emission Development
An urban COP30 may be coming. Are national plans ready for it?
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.
Advocacy & diplomacy Climate adaptation Climate mitigation Daring Cities 2025 Global Advocacy Multilevel governance
Cities, climate, and convergence: What the first Annual Review on the Rio Conventions tells us
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.
Advocacy & diplomacy Daring Cities 2025 Global Advocacy Global policy for local planners Multilevel governance
All levels, one goal: Scaling ambition ahead of COP30
Every year, the Bonn Climate Talks – formally the sessions of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SBs) – serve as the mid-year checkpoint on the road to the annual COP. With over 6,000 national delegates and civil society representatives expected, the SB62 (16-26 June 2025) is far from routine.
How youth are shaping local to global climate action through Town Hall COPs
Town Hall COPs are redefining what inclusive, multilevel climate governance looks like on the road to COP30.
From Daring Cities to Town Hall COPs, how ICLEI is taking on local-to-global climate action
Throughout 2024, Daring Cities spotlighted the Town Hall COPs initiative as an innovative mechanism linking local climate emergency action to national and global efforts. How do the Town Hall COPs fit into the current global climate arena? We brought this discussion to COP29.