ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is a global network working with more than 2,500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development.
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is a global network working with more than 2,500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development.
Our network is powering local and regional leaders’ engagement in the COP process
COP30 has concluded in Belém – the city at the heart of the Amazon in Brazil. The COP30 Presidency positioned this climate summit as the implementation COP – meaning that pledges and plans should be a thing of the past. For cities and regions, this vision underlines what has long been evident: implementation happens locally.
To date, only around a quarter of national climate commitments meaningfully integrate urban priorities, leaving a significant gap between where emissions are generated and where solutions can be delivered.
Considering all political and logistical challenges, cities and regions in the ICLEI network had an opportunity to play the role of solutions-provider, and provide wins for all parties and stakeholders.
This year, local and regional governments were unified in their message for Parties: give us a negotiations outcome that puts local and other subnational governments at the heart of the implementation phase of the Paris Agreement. ICLEI sent to COP30 more than 120 local and regional leaders and more than 70 staff to advocate for subnationals in the climate agenda.
As the focal point of the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities Constituency, ICLEI empowered more than fifty networks of local and regional governments around the world, from Rwanda to South Australia to Brazil, along with other international city networks, to align behind a single Position for COP30.
The LGMA Constituency’s message is echoed by the results of the Local Leaders Forum in Rio, which brought together thousands of local and regional government leaders ahead of COP. The Joint Outcome Statement from the Forum adds additional political influence to the Constituency’s messages. It was endorsed by ICLEI President, Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, Mayor of Malmö, Sweden, who served as a co-chair for the Local Leaders Forum, as well as ICLEI Vice Presidents State Secretary for Environment and Infrastructure of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil Marjorie Kauffmann, and Mayor of Chefchaouen, Morocco, Mohamed Sefiani.
Read the LGMA COP30 Joint Position
ICLEI Members, leaders and experts participated in dozens of interventions, sessions and events throughout the two weeks of COP, on themes including:
The ICLEI Network brought a host of new solutions and announcements COP30 to elevate the role of subnationals on a global stage.
COP30 launch of ProUrbano brings together two complementary facilities to help cities protect people, infrastructure, and livelihoods.
ICLEI President Mayor Jammeh and ICLEI Vice President Mohamed Sefiani, Mayor of Chefchaouen, Morocco, joined delegations engaging directly with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, respectively.
At COP30, a new Memorandum of Understanding was signed to expand local climate finance, build subnational technical capacity, and jointly advance priority green projects and integrated territorial governance.
The Statement, a result from the COP30 Local Leaders Forum, was handed over by a delegations of leaders, including ICLEI President Mayor Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh.
ICLEI's global Town Hall COP initiative landed at COP30 with insightful sessions highlighting the approach as a new tool for multilevel governance and urbanization.
Former U.S. Ambassador Nina Hachigian, the first U.S. Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy and former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor for International Affairs, will serve as a Senior Advisor to the ICLEI USA Board. Through this collaboration, ICLEI USA and Ambassador Hachigian will strengthen connections between U.S. local governments and their international peers for joint action on climate and sustainability.
The Heat Implementation Drive is a joint initiative of the COP30 Presidency and the UNEP-led Cool Coalition. It aims to accelerate the deployment of sustainable cooling and heat-resilience solutions in cities worldwide. ICLEI is proud to collaborate with 80+ partners on this critical effort.
Announced on 4 November at the COP30 Local Leaders Forum, cities are showing how local leadership drives global climate progress.
Every year, ICLEI works with local and regional governments, partners, leaders, and experts to develop and publish state-of-the-art knowledge products. At COP30, we introduced new resources covering a wide range of themes, including:
All the highlights from local and regional leaders on the ground.
The project is now part of the global platform showcasing more than 300 climate initiatives already delivering tangible climate action impact.
Co-organized by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, ICLEI, and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, this session highlighted that adaptation is local, but real progress depends on collective action, finance, and listening to communities.
Co-convened by ICLEI, as the focal point for the LGMA Constituency, and partners, this pioneering multilevel coordination effort brings climate federalism to life: National, state, and local actors aligning positions, sharing knowledge, and building a unified narrative for COP30 and beyond.
The visit, co-organized by IUCN, UNEP, ICLEI, BMUKN, and the IKI, brought together key representatives, including Minister Carsten Schneider, Antônio da Costa e Silva, the National Secretary of Brazil’s Minister of Cities, and Igor Normando, Mayor of Belém.
The Climate Mobility Pavilion hosted a timely discussion on how cities can anticipate and plan for climate-induced population movements. Leaders and experts reflected on how human mobility is reshaping African and global cities and what a proactive, inclusive, and dignified response looks like.
17–18 November marked COP30 days dedicated to planetary and community stewardship, with a strong focus on youth. YOUNGO, the official children and youth constituency to the UNFCCC, is advocating for multi-generational priorities into the negotiations.
At the Water for Climate Pavilion, ICLEI highlighted that managing water resources and protecting natural ecosystems are fundamental to building resilience against climate shocks.
Moira Were, Mayor of the City of Onkaparinga and ICLEI GexCom Member, shares how coastal degradation and climate impacts are transforming South Australia’s shores and communities. HY William Chan, Former Councillor of Sydney and ICLEI Oceania RexCom Member, reflects on the growing role of cities in global climate negotiations.
Meet the artist behind the vivid one-of-a-kind illustrations (created with acrylic paint and marker brush) at the COP30 Cities & Regions Hub: Daniel Jacaré.
high-level delegates visited Barcarena, State of Pará, Brazil, for an immersive experience on Urban Resilience and Disaster Risk Reduction in the Amazon. ICLEI was represented by Rodrigo Perpétuo, Executive Director of ICLEI South America, as co-coordinator for MCR2030 for Latin America.
On 12 November, Australia’s National Pavilion hosted a high-level workshop showcasing insights from Town Hall COPs hosted in Adelaide and Greater Sydney, as well as Kiribati.
Co-organized by ICLEI Cities Biodiversity Center (CBC) and Regions4, this insightful session explored how local and subnational governments are effectively bridging the climate, biodiversity, and land restoration agendas to move from ambition to measurable results.
Local leaders from across the United States joined convened in Rio de Janeiro for the C40 World Mayors Summit and the COP30 Local Leaders Forum. Every story, side conversation, and session carried a message of hope: Local governments are turning ambition into results, and that collaboration is how we move forward.
U.S. mayors joined peers from around the world for the C40 World Mayors Summit in Rio and COP30 in Belém. This delegation included African American Mayors Association (AAMA) leaders, including a group participating in ICLEI USA’s Mayors Climate Action Training Program.
As a signatory to the Climate Champions’ Food Systems Call to Action, ICLEI’s Global CityFood Program will showcase city-led solutions and its commitment to a just transition and collective action across several COP30 events.
Preview ICLEI’s engagement at COP30 in our latest newsletter.
Subnational leaders are gathering in Rio to bring local climate solutions and chart a path forward grounded in the Global Mutirão call for collective action.
Since 2019, ICLEI has been increasingly active in the Amazon region by building strong relations with local actors and authorities to understand local urban dynamics and co-develop solutions that advance sustainable development while safeguarding the forest.
With the world zooming in on Belém, an ICLEI Member since 2022, this work now takes on renewed force and visibility. Through coordinated efforts between the ICLEI World Secretariat, ICLEI South America, and our regional offices in Brazil and Colombia, we’re placing Amazonian cities and regions at the heart of global climate action.
Building on multiple successful COP pavilions, ICLEI, in its role as the focal point of the LGMA Constituency, and UN-Habitat co-convened the Cities & Regions Hub in the Blue Zone at COP30. The Hub was hosted by the Ministry of Cities of Brazil.
The Cities & Regions Hub at COP30 was the home for multilevel climate action, a space where mayors, governors, ministers, negotiators, civil society, and experts come together to connect local realities with global negotiations.
The Hub was part of the first Neighbourhood of the Mutirão for Cities, Water and Infrastructure. This interconnected Neighbourhood of four pavilions placed cities, infrastructure, buildings, cooling, and water at the center of climate discussions. Inspired by the Brazilian tradition of mutirão, a priority of the COP30 Presidency, the Neighbourhood reflected how local action, solidarity, and shared effort can drive systemic transformation for inclusive climate action.
Learn more
Since launching in early 2025, ICLEI’s Town Hall COP Initiative has gained momentum, with more than 50 Town Hall COPs convened in 40 countries across all continents, gathering more than 12,000 people and even being recognized as an official model for multilevel action in countries such as South Africa, Malaysia, and Kiribati.
At COP30, we brought the lessons from communities across the globe on how Town Hall COPS are ensuring that climate action is locally led, transformation-oriented, and nationally relevant.
Learn more about the Town Hall COPs
Under the theme “Stronger national climate plans through multilevel action,” Daring Cities 2025, co-convened by ICLEI and the Federal City of Bonn, Germany, gathered local and regional leaders and national policymakers to shape NDCs 3.0 ahead and beyond COP30.
Building on CHAMP and supporting ICLEI’s Town Hall COPs, Daring Cities 2025 showcased how cities and regions can forge bold multilevel partnerships and governance to raise national ambition.
Drawing from the Bonn Dialogues and Virtual Forum, Daring Cities 2025 has developed a compendium of good practices featuring over 30 real-world case studies and ready-to-use resources that connect local solutions to national goals and global impact.
At COP30, we brought Daring Cities’ good practices, especially those stemming from the Town Hall COPs, to a dedicated session on the initiative.
Download the Compendium