Global sustainability agendas: 10 things we’re watching for in 2025
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. Because of these global challenges and weakened global processes, we expect in 2025 for the focus within countries to shift more towards concerns at the national level.
A number of UN conferences on Ocean, Finance, Social Development, resumed sessions of UN Habitat Assembly and Biodiversity COP16, and the conclusion of Global Plastics Treaty negotiations may still keep global momentum this year.
However, the road to climate COP30 in Belém, Brazil, in November, is the most substantial and strategic mechanism for local and subnational governments to influence and impact the national and global sustainability agenda in 2025. As we gear up for the mid-year climate conference in Bonn, Germany, and look towards COP30 in Belém, it is essential for local and regional governments to ensure that their national governments include them in the crucial planning and implementation phases of new national climate commitments, called Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
The strengthening of the CHAMP initiative – the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships for Climate Action – shows a robust push towards engaging multiple governance levels in the climate dialogue. This year, as nations prepare to update their NDCs, we must leverage examples from countries like Brazil and the UAE, who effectively integrated multilevel cooperation into their updated national climate goals released last year. Additionally, Town Hall COPs will be an effective tool in equipping local and subnational governments to align with their communities for action and influence national governments for ambitious climate plans.
We hope that public awareness and pressure, the demonstrated social and economic benefits of transformation to sustainability, and existing institutional capacities together with the increasing scale and impact of the planetary crisis can play a key role to keep the momentum for local, subnational and national action. At ICLEI, we are drawing strength from the actions and commitment of our network of proactive local and regional governments.
Here are the ten things we’re watching for in 2025 regarding the global sustainability agendas:
#1: The global multilateral implications as a new leader takes power in the US, and Germany, Canada, Australia and others hold national elections
President Donald Trump was sworn in on 20 January 2025 and made withdrawing from the Paris Agreement one of his first official acts. This begins a roller coaster of elections and leadership changes in major global north countries. Germany’s government will face elections in February. Canada will appoint a new Prime Minister in March, with elections likely to quickly follow. Australia will hold national elections in the first half of the year. With changes coming to so many countries that have served as important leaders in global sustainability, the continued leadership from the global north cannot be assumed, leading to ramifications across the global sustainability processes.
#2: Subnational governments will continue to shape the direction of the biodiversity and wetlands agendas
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP16 talks resume in Rome, Italy (25 – 27 February 2025) to finalize negotiations on the means for implementation, specifically biodiversity finance and resource mobilization (including a dedicated global biodiversity financing instrument under the COP and a strategy for resource mobilization); the monitoring framework and mechanisms for planning, monitoring, reporting and review (which are of particular interest to local and subnational governments); and cooperation with other conventions and international organizations. The CBD COP16, the first CBD COP since adopting the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), was historical as it saw the largest, whole-of-society mobilization at a biodiversity CBD ever. Astrid Schomaker, CBD Executive Secretary, particularly recognized the contributions and actions of local and subnational governments towards the implementation of the GBF targets.
Ramsar 15 (Convention on Wetlands) in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe (23 – 31 July 2025) will focus on wetland conservation, freshwater protection, and biodiversity. It will also focus on the role of local governments in wetland management, through the announcement of cities to be accredited under Wetland City Accreditation Scheme. ICLEI is collaborating with the Ramsar Secretariat to actively engage cities to strengthen their role in public awareness and decision-making on urban wetlands conservation and restoration; and in promoting their contributions in a Resolution on Enhancing the Convention’s visibility and synergies with other multilateral environmental agreements, including the three Rio Conventions.
#3: New energy on climate starting in Paris
The Climate Reality Project and former US Vice President Al Gore return to Paris to host the Climate Reality Leadership Corps from 28 – 30 March 2025. Marking ten years since the Paris Agreement, this dynamic two-and-a-half-day event kicks off the Climate Ambition Tour, a year-long movement demanding bold action to phase out fossil fuels and combat climate change. This training will enable the participants to learn what’s been achieved, the critical next steps to accelerate the energy transition, and how to advocate for ambitious action ahead of COP30. Government leaders and officials, grassroots advocates, young leaders, entrepreneurs, and community members are invited to gain the tools, strategies, and global connections needed to drive meaningful change.
#4: Earth Day turns 55 and Town Hall COPs get a global stage
Every year on 22 April, Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970, and this year the special day is marking its 55th birthday. This year, Town Hall COPs are poised to power new local to global connections around the world on this important day. ICLEI is partnering with EARTHDAY.ORG for a groundbreaking global campaign to ignite public dialogues on local climate action. Running throughout the year, the initiative aims to mobilize mayors and city leaders to host transformative discussions on how to elevate the power and impact of local and subnational climate action. These Town Hall COPs will bring together communities to advance actions and contributions to national plans, including businesses, families, schools, unions, and faith groups. “Local governments are uniquely positioned to lead this charge,” says Kale Roberts, ICLEI Deputy Director.
#5: Maintaining global momentum outside of the Rio Conventions at three infrequent global summits
2025 UN Ocean Conference, Nice, France (9 – 13 June 2025), co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, will serve as a pivotal moment in the global movement to protect and sustainably use our oceans. Under the urgent theme, “Accelerating Action and Mobilizing All Actors to Conserve and Sustainably Use the Ocean,” this landmark gathering will focus on scaling efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 14: conserving and sustainably using oceans, seas, and marine resources. ICLEI is proud to play a key role at the conference with the launch of the “Ocean Rise & Coastal Resilience Coalition for Cities and Regions.” This initiative, announced at COP29 at the Climate Mobility Pavilion, represents a critical opportunity to unite subnational governments, networks, and scientific organizations to drive innovative, scalable solutions for coastal resilience. The official launch of the Coalition will take place during the Summit on Adapting Coastal Cities and Regions on 7 June in Nice.
Financing for Sustainable Development in Seville, Spain (30 June – 4 July 2025) happens every ten years or so and is a critical space for leaders from all governments, along with international and regional organizations, financial and trade institutions, businesses, civil society and the UN System to unite at the highest levels, providing a unique opportunity to reform financing at all levels, including to reform of the international financial architecture.
2025 High-Level Political Forum in New York, United States (14 – 23 July 2025), under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), will focus on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on health (SDG3), gender equality (SDG5), decent work (SDG8), life below water (SDG14), and partnerships (SDG17).
Second World Summit for Social Development in Qatar (4 – 6 November 2025) aims to reinvigorate the Copenhagen Declaration and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Summit will foster global solidarity, focusing on universal social protections like health coverage, housing, education, and decent work. It represents the pivotal moment to reaffirm the UN’s pledge that no one will be left behind. Highlighting humanity’s commitment to people-centered progress, equity, and social justice, the key stakeholders have already convened to shape the Summit’s agenda, underscoring the commitment to transparency and collaboration, and is likely to return to the themes underscored at last year’s Summit for the Future.
#6: Can we advance on pollution and plastics in 2025?
Under the overarching theme “Advancing sustainable solutions for a resilient planet”, the 7th session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) will take place on 8 – 12 December 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya. The session will focus on themes such as reducing unsustainable resource extraction, fostering technological innovation, and enhancing environmental governance, while upholding the human right to a clean, sustainable environment. Additionally UNEP has announced that negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty will resume at an unspecified time and place, possibly in May. It is likely that the final Plastics Treaty agreement will happen at UNEA-7.
#7: The potential for economic partnerships to deliver on sustainability goals in the G7, G20 and BRICS
Canada takes the helm of the G7, just as their national leadership is facing election; the Urban7 group will look to continue to build the momentum after strong progress under the recent Presidencies of Italy, Japan and Germany. Johannesburg, South Africa, will host the G20 in November, a major event that will bring global attention to the country and its transformation efforts, with the U20 meeting as well. And Brazil has taken the helm of the BRICS group of countries, thrusting their national leadership into the spotlight for those fast developing economies. Cities and regions will be watching how these global political agendas do – or do not – elevate multilevel sustainability priorities this year.
#8: COP30’s opportunity to make good on truly transformative global climate action
The UN Climate Agenda in 2025 includes the Bonn Climate Conference on 16 – 26 June 2025 and COP30 in Belém, Brazil, on 10 – 21 November 2025, and in between, numerous workshops as well as informal Ministerial Meetings. All eyes are on the preparation of new national climate plans by COP30, which are expected to be prepared through multilevel collaboration pursuant to para.161 of COP28 UAE Consensus. Additionally, the resumption at the mid-year conference of negotiations that were punted from COP29, make the Bonn talks even more critical to COP30’s success. 2025 is also the year that kicks off the drafting of the IPCC Special Report on Cities, to be concluded by March 2027, an important process that is likely to be informed by the developments of 2025.
#9: The ability for cities and regions to be strong climate advocates outside of the climate COP
2025 will be a crucial year for the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities Constituency (LGMA) to advocate for local and regional governments around the world. Some highlights include the Third UCLG Intermediary Cities Forum in Cuenca on 23 – 24 January 2025, UrbanSHIFT Africa Forum in Nairobi on 17 – 21 February 2025, ICLEI’s summit on science-based green transition in Goyang, South Korea, in April, the 2nd Mediterranean gathering (MEDCOP-2) in September Tangier, Morocco, UNECE Forum of Mayors in Geneva in 6 – 7 October 2025, and. The Global Task Force will meet in February in Barcelona to strategize for the year. Mid-year, we have the London Climate Action Week (LCAW) that leverages London’s diverse ecosystem to drive global and local climate action, positioning the city as a global climate leader. LGMA will also be a contributor to the Climate Week in New York City, organized by Climate Group on 21-28 September, 2025.
#10: Daring Cities 2025 helping to build stronger national climate plans through multilevel action
2025 becomes a critical year for action in the lead up to UNFCCC COP30 in Belém, Brazil. With the submission and implementation of the next round of NDCs soon upon us, national governments need to build capacity to implement multilevel, integrated and holistic NDCs 3.0 in 2026 and onwards. The inconclusiveness of the COP29 agenda in Baku increases the relevance of the subsequent UNFCCC Bonn Climate Conference in June 2025. While normally a more technical meeting, this conference will be of more value to subnational leaders than usual because negotiations agenda items that were intended to take place in Baku will now take place in Bonn. The Daring Cities 2025 Bonn Dialogues in Bonn (16 – 18 June 2025) will bring together local and regional leaders during these critical talks. Daring Cities 2025 aims to meaningfully connect local efforts to combat the climate emergency with the global climate negotiations by showcasing the need for effective multilevel governance.
This article was written with contributions from Nandita Mathews and Ariel Dekovic from the ICLEI World Secretariat, Ingrid Coetzee and Ivana Benitez Landa from the ICLEI Cities Biodiversity Center, and Michelle Preen and Kate Strachan from the ICLEI Africa Secretariat.
Photo in the header by Philipp Montenegro.
