Now in its seventh edition, Daring Cities 2026 provides a strategic platform connecting local leadership with national and global climate processes to turn commitments into action.
For better or worse, the year ahead brings a mix of reforms, political shifts and global milestones that will shape how urban sustainability agendas are governed and delivered. Here’s what local and regional governments should be on the lookout for this year.
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.
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.
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.
With only 27 new NDCs submitted by June 2025, covering just 21% of global emissions, are governments actually delivering on that promise?
Under the umbrella of Daring Cities 2025 Bonn Dialogues, this event highlighted the importance of partnerships to deliver not just ambitious plans, but real climate action for a thriving future.
The 2nd CHAMP UNFCCC Focal Point Dialogue provided a platform for national government endorsers and their strategic partners to assess progress and guide CHAMP’s implementation toward COP30.
Born from the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, these three multilateral environmental agreements have shaped how the international community approaches global environmental challenges.
Under the theme “Stronger national climate plans through multilevel action,” the sixth edition of Daring Cities aims to serve as a pivotal platform for local and regional governments to influence global climate negotiations. Explore what Daring Cities 2025 is bringing to the table.
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. Here are the ten things we’re watching for in 2025 regarding the global sustainability agendas.