To wrap up 2025, we look back at six stories that resonated most with our readers. From urban biodiversity and nature-based solutions to extreme heat, green finance and global sustainability agendas, these pieces capture a defining year for cities and regions.
Wrapping COP30, and as the world now moves from negotiations to implementation, the need to transform ambition into measurable, investable action has never been clearer. Cities and companies sit at the heart of this transformation. Together, they shape the systems that drive both emission reduction and solutions – and together, they hold the key to…
As co-focal point of the Local Authorities Major Group, ICLEI ensures cities’ and regions’ voices are represented in the UNEA process, with subnationals calling for stronger synergies with the Rio Conventions and other Multilateral Environmental Agreements.
“During the so-called ‘implementation COP’, the absence of commitments on issues related to urbanization is not a mere technical detail – it is a symptom of a structural gridlock in climate multilateralism. Is the game, then, already lost?” reflects Philip Yang, Special Envoy of the COP30 Presidency for Urban Solutions, in this special guest op-ed.
Insights from the second in-person workshop series of the Kaohsiung-ICLEI Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Community of Practice.
The Urban Infrastructure Insurance Facility (UIIF), introduces an innovative way for cities in Latin America and the Caribbean to access climate adaptation financing, including the insurance market, collectively pool risk, and protect critical infrastructure and vulnerable populations.
Belém, host city of COP30, shows that protecting the Amazon means empowering its cities and people. Through its Local Climate Action Plan, nature-based solutions and a 2050 vision of climate neutrality, the city is positioning itself as a model of climate resilience and sustainability
This blog was written by Jannis Niethammer and co-authored by Emily West and Daniel Botha from ICLEI Europe. Climate action only truly succeeds when everyone can take part. In our previous blog post, we explored why community inclusion is essential for effective climate action and how cities can begin to dismantle structural barriers that exclude…
World Food Day, on 16 October, lands with new urgency to work together for better food and a better future. Answer the call to collaborate across governments, sectors, institutions, and communities, our global ICLEI CityFood Program and network cities are advancing actions for healthy people, landscapes, and climate. After all, cities thrive when their food systems do.
Building child-friendly cities is a climate adaptation strategy. In Austria, Graz and Feldbach prove it works.
Recognizing youth as powerful drivers of change, local and regional governments are creating meaningful spaces for their voices, leadership, and ideas. This International Youth Day, discover how ICLEI Members are actively involving young people in shaping inclusive and impactful climate action.
To truly harness youth leadership, local and regional governments must go beyond consultation, co-creating processes where young people set agendas, influence decisions, and hold institutions accountable.