ICLEI’s Town Hall COP Initiative is emerging as a powerful model to make climate action truly locally led, transformation-oriented, and, most importantly, nationally relevant.
Since launching in early 2025, the Town Hall COP Initiative has gained momentum, with 70+ local governments and civil society organizations registered to host an event. Seven cities in six countries have already hosted their events, and South Africa became the first national government to officially endorse the initiative. Read on for the latest updates on how local voices are shaping climate action ahead of 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.
On 13 March 2025, Greater Sydney hosted one of the first Town Hall COPs for 2025 – part of a growing global effort to place local priorities at the center of national and international climate decision-making.