“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?

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.

How circular cities protect biodiversity

How circular cities protect biodiversity

ByMarion Guenard

With urban areas acting as the consumption centers of our world’s resources, local governments play an important role in this transformation. In fact, they are in a unique position to drive, catalyze and enable circular economy interventions in support of biodiversity protection and regeneration. Critically, cities are also dependent on biodiversity for sustaining the social, economic and environmental well-being of their residents which makes it all the more important for them to be at the forefront of the circular transition.