Mind the Gap: How youth fall between presence and power in urban governance
This op-ed guest article argues that youth participation in urban governance must move beyond symbolism to real power, especially in the Global South.
Advocacy & diplomacy Daring Cities 2025 Global Advocacy Multilevel governance Zero emission Development
From Bonn to Belém: How national commitments and cities together can deliver a climate-ready future
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.
Advocacy & diplomacy Climate mitigation Daring Cities 2025 Global Advocacy Multilevel governance Zero emission Development
From fragmentation to structure: CHAMP helps scaling climate action across all levels
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.
Advocacy & diplomacy Climate mitigation Global Advocacy Multilevel governance Zero emission Development
An urban COP30 may be coming. Are national plans ready for it?
Mostly not. And that’s an issue, since one of the drivers of success for COP30 could be how well the NDCs 3.0 reflect and enable climate action in cities.
Advocacy & diplomacy Climate adaptation Climate mitigation Daring Cities 2025 Global Advocacy Multilevel governance
Cities, climate, and convergence: What the first Annual Review on the Rio Conventions tells us
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.
Advocacy & diplomacy Daring Cities 2025 Global Advocacy Global policy for local planners Multilevel governance
All levels, one goal: Scaling ambition ahead of COP30
Every year, the Bonn Climate Talks – formally the sessions of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SBs) – serve as the mid-year checkpoint on the road to the annual COP. With over 6,000 national delegates and civil society representatives expected, the SB62 (16-26 June 2025) is far from routine.
Brazil’s LGMA Coordination Group advances multilevel agenda for COP30
On 19 May 2025, ICLEI South America virtually promoted the second Meeting of the National Coordination Group of the Local…
On the road to COP30: Reflecting on how multilevel action can strengthen national climate plans
Looking ahead to COP30, what cities and regions do in advance of this global climate summit 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, shift the trajectory of the climate emergency, and push for inclusive, multilevel climate action.
Multilevel Governance Dialogues for greener, more resilient cities
Multilevel governance dialogues have taken place across seven UrbanShift countries, engaging city representatives from diverse urban contexts.
The collective action agenda for water: Locally-led adaptation and multilevel governance
At the Water for Climate Pavilion at COP29 on 19 November, the importance of locally-led initiatives and multilevel governance approaches in implementing effective water management was in the spotlight.
Multilevel action for a 1.5 °C future
The COP29 High-Level Climate Champion, alongside mayors, subnational leaders and other representatives, convened at the Daring Cities 2024 Bonn Dialogues…
Bringing the Urban World to the peace and sustainability track: The power of G100,000+
“We cannot solve problems, by using the same kind of thinking we used when creating them” – Albert Einstein …