At the subnational level, ICLEI drives change along five interconnected pathways that cut across sectors and jurisdictional boundaries. This design enables local and regional governments to develop solutions in a holistic and integrated way, creating change across entire urban systems. We influence sustainability policy and drive local action for zero emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development.
This blog examines the interdependence between equity and resilience, exploring how climate-related risks are experienced across different regions and how ICLEI’s work around the world integrates both in responding to these risks.
When climate risk assessments leave gender out, the inequality that follows goes unmeasured, and unmeasured inequality never becomes a reason to change course.
In Pazaryeri, it does not take a major flood to ruin a shop or damage a home, and it does not take a major intervention to prevent it.
Where people live often determines the opportunities and risks they face – albeit often resulting from economic pressures, planning decisions, environmental conditions, and historical policies.
From reducing emissions to boosting climate adaptation, cities around the world are showing how Rethink, Regenerate, Reduce, Reuse and Recover strategies are turning action on plastics into a powerful lever for climate action.
In Izmir, four departments stopped working in silos and built one shared curriculum, with results none of them expected.
At the Zero Waste Forum 2026 (5-7 June, Istanbul, Türkiye), cities made the case that transforming waste into a resource is emerging as one of the most practical pathways for delivering climate action, strengthening resilience, and advancing sustainable urban development.
Heat Action Day, celebrated every year on 2 June, is a moment to recognize the scale of the challenge and the growing range of responses cities are leading. Across ICLEI’s network, those responses take many forms.
Sitting at the edge of the Amazon rainforest, surrounded by rivers, parks, and some of the richest biodiversity on the planet, Belém seems an unlikely place to talk about heat as a crisis. And yet…
Cities consume over 70% of global energy and account for more than 60% of carbon emissions. With accelerating urbanization, cities…
Across Africa, rapid urbanization, affordability gaps, and climate risks are pushing low-income households into informal settlements. Explore how housing inequities deepen poverty and vulnerability, and why housing must be treated as a structural equity issue.
Participation is critical for urban planning but often uneven. To foster inclusive engagement, cities within the Malmö Commitment are experimenting with accessible formats, community partnerships, and linking participation to daily life.