The launch of the LGMA National Coordination Group in Brasília marks a major milestone for climate federalism and multilevel governance in Brazil. Co-organized by ICLEI, the group brings together national ministries, local leaders, and civil society to ensure subnational voices help shape Brazil’s role at COP30.
On 13 March 2025, Greater Sydney hosted one of the first Town Hall COPs for 2025 – part of a growing global effort to place local priorities at the center of national and international climate decision-making.
Looking ahead to COP30, what cities and regions do in advance of this global climate summit may matter more than the conference itself. On the road to Belém, local and regional governments have a unique opportunity to engage with their national governments, shift the trajectory of the climate emergency, and push for inclusive, multilevel climate action.
As we begin a pivotal year, many global north countries are facing elections and leadership changes, testing the world’s commitment to sustainable development. Last year, we witnessed several key global processes needing to continue into 2025 – like the biodiversity negotiations and the Plastics Treaty – or delivering a disappointing lack of ambition, such as the climate COP. Here are the ten things we’re watching for in 2025 regarding the global sustainability agendas.
The Republic of Korea hosted INC-5, bringing national governments together to forge a global treaty to end plastic pollution. This initiative began at the 2022 UN Environment Assembly with the adoption of Resolution 5.14 titled: End Plastic Pollution: towards an international legally binding instrument.
What happens when around 100 stakeholders from five continents come together to discuss urban agrifood systems transformation? In September 2024, the Urban Agrifood Systems Global Workshop—co-organized by FAO and ICLEI—turned FAO headquarters in Rome into a vibrant marketplace of ideas. Check out the outcomes.
To wrap up 2024, we delve into the diverse array of stories that proved to be our most popular of the year – five stories that resonated, shaping and informing perspectives on sustainable urban development.
From COP29 and the AfriFOODLinks Consortium to the ICLEI World Congress and key conferences across Europe, here’s how ICLEI took charge to involve youth in shaping the sustainability agenda during 2024.
The urgent call for increased climate finance for local and regional governments has resonated globally with stakeholders rallying to address this challenge. Initial commitments and progress on mechanisms at COP29 in Baku, while encouraging, mark just the beginning of a critical journey toward COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
Held from 25 November to 1 December 2024, in Busan, Republic of Korea, the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-5) to develop a Global Plastic Treaty concluded without an agreement, pushing further negotiations into 2025. The draft text made some references to local and subnational governments, prompting the Local and Subnational Governments Coalition to End Plastic Pollution to advocate for stronger inclusion.
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.
At the Water for Climate Pavilion at COP29 on 19 November, the importance of locally-led initiatives and multilevel governance approaches in implementing effective water management was in the spotlight.