For the past six years, Daring Cities, co-convened by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and the Federal City of Bonn, has provided a platform for cities and regions that are boldly tackling the climate emergency. 

Under the theme “Stronger national climate plans through multilevel action,” this edition aims to serve as a pivotal platform for local and regional governments to influence global climate negotiations.

In the words of Katja Dörner, Mayor of Bonn, Germany, and Chair of ICLEI’s Climate Action Governance Portfolio: “Daring Cities continues bringing together local and regional leaders with national policymakers to shape stronger climate plans ahead of COP30 – bringing together higher ambition and ensuring successful collaborative implementation throughout all levels of government after COP30.”

Wrapping up Cornerstone I “Reflect” of Daring Cities 2025, which oriented the discussion on past climate initiatives, especially those from UNFCCC COP28 and COP29, the event now transitions into Cornerstone II “Exchange”. It combines the best of in-person and virtual engagement to exchange knowledge, build capacity, and amplify the voices of diverse stakeholders to accelerate multilevel action.

Cornerstone II kicks off with the Daring Cities 2025 Bonn Dialogues, held alongside the UNFCCC SB62 Climate Talks from 16 to 18 June in Bonn, Germany. It is followed by the Daring Cities Virtual Forum, running from July to October. 

With a packed program, this sixth edition will dive into bold climate leadership, knowledge exchange, and integrated, holistic solutions through dynamic dialogues, hands-on workshops, and high-level roundtables. How? Read on to explore what Daring Cities 2025 is bringing to the table:

Empowering local and regional governments to influence global climate negotiations

The mixed outcomes of COP29 have left a climate leadership vacuum, and cities and regions must step up to fill this gap. This makes the upcoming UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SB62) more critical than ever, as key negotiations originally set for COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, will now take place in Bonn. 

Urban leaders must seize this opportunity to solidify their role in global climate negotiations. Daring Cities 2025 serves as both a catalyst and an amplifying platform, elevating local and regional voices on the global stage.

Showing how multilevel action can strengthen national climate plans

For COP30, how cities and regions prepare 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 to change the current trajectory of the climate emergency and to push for inclusive, multilevel climate action. 

Building on COP28’s CHAMP initiative, Daring Cities 2025 brings together local and regional leaders with national policymakers to shape stronger Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs 3.0) ahead of COP30. The goal is to ensure these commitments are not only ambitious but also effectively implemented at all levels of government, driving real action beyond COP30 while leaving no one behind.

Equipping local leaders and their communities to drive climate action at home 

Daring Cities 2025 supports ICLEI’s newly launched Town Hall COP Initiative, taking center stage as an avenue for local and regional governments to inform themselves on their respective national climate plans (NDCs) and showcase how their community can best contribute to its successful implementation over the coming years. 

The Town Hall COP Initiative invites local governments, municipal authorities, and local communities to bring the global climate movement home by hosting a climate summit in their own community. The insights and outcomes of each Town Hall COP feed directly into the NDCs and the global climate agenda, offering an unprecedented opportunity for communities to help shape climate policy from the ground up. 

The Initiative provides local and regional governments with 1) a community-centered process to showcase local climate action in an event that educates, motivates and drives action forward, designed to reflect the specific priorities and needs of the community; 2) strategies to make Town Hall COP events nationally relevant, connecting what is happening locally to what is being done at a country level; and 3) an opportunity to show how climate action is fundamentally interconnected with community health, nature, justice, affordability, jobs and culture. 

Daring Cities is committed to create and sustain a cycle that connects local, national, and global climate action, driving real change from the ground up.

Fostering integrated and holistic approaches for climate solutions

Recognizing the need for innovative collaborations, Daring Cities 2025 brings together actors from various policy areas and sectors to unlock new pathways for addressing the climate emergency. 

Discussions on the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities will emphasize how cities and regions are directly contributing to this global knowledge base, which can best inform science-based climate policy-making at all levels of government. 

The event will also highlight bold local leadership in the Climate-Land-Biodiversity space, demonstrating how local and subnational actions align not only with global climate efforts but with those of all three Rio Conventions. In addition, it will explore pathways to drive data-informed climate action, unlock innovative finance, and scale up circular solutions.

A community that dares to take on bold climate emergency action

Daring Cities is more than an event—it’s a global community of changemakers committed to tackling the climate emergency from the ground up. By strengthening partnerships, building capacity, and sharing knowledge, we empower local, subnational, and national leaders to turn bold climate commitments into action.

We already have the solutions to the climate emergency. What we need now is leadership, collaboration, and the momentum to implement them. Daring Cities sparks a multilevel response, accelerating the transformation of cities, towns, and regions toward a thriving, sustainable future by 2030 and beyond.