OUR IMPACT
How ICLEI is working across the globe
Every year, ICLEI’s works on hundreds of activities with thousands of cities, towns and regions around the globe
Search our activitiesOur activities and action plan
Every three years, ICLEI commits to a Strategic Vision. Our action plan of hundreds of activities around the world gives a roadmap for how we will fulfill this vision.
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WHAT WE DO
ICLEI's network of impact
ICLEI is engaged in hundreds of activities in more than 2,500 cities, towns and regions worldwide. Our activities, guided by five interconnected pathways, are designed to facilitate integrated sustainable urban development.
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ICLEI in numbers
Our Impact
465+
global activities
2500+
local & regional governments involved
1200+
local & regional governments reporting climate actions
560+
jurisdictions committed to climate action by 2030
Thriving cities with nature
Biodiversity at the heart of resilient cities
Under the theme “Acting locally for global impact,” International Day for Biological Diversity on 22 May reminds us that from restoring ecosystems to improving public health, urban biodiversity is fundamental to creating healthier, happier, and more resilient communities.
Active
ICLEI Cities Biodiversity Center
We live in the urban century, and the evidence shows that globally we face unprecedented threats to ...
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Active
INTERACT BIO – Integrated Action on Biodiversity
Nature provides wide ranging benefits and essential services. Unfortunately, current development pat...
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Active
CitiesWithNature Partnership Initiative
Through CitiesWithNature (CWN), local and regional governments are able to enhance the potential of ...
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Active
Biodiversity Action Project
ICLEI Argentina, in collaboration with the Bahía Encerrada Association, 7has initiated the Biodiver...
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Active
Biodiversity Conservation and Natural Resource Management for Sustainable Development in Gangtok
Situated in close proximity to the Eastern Himalayan global biodiversity hotspot, the city of Gangto...
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Completed
COP16 – Cali, Colombia
Over the past two decades, ICLEI, through its Cities Biodiversity Center (CBC), has collaborated clo...
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Completed
CBD-COP16 involvement for Japanese Cities
Many Japanese cities actively engage in biodiversity initiatives and are eager to participate in eve...
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Active
Biodiversity Local Government Seminar
Ingrid Coetzee, Director of Biodiversity, Nature & Health at ICLEI Africa Secretariat, will give a k...
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Completed
Nature-Based Cities
The NBCities integrate the biodiversity conservation and climate action agendas, by strengthening lo...
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Completed
Urban Biodiversity International Forum (Kunming)
The alarming loss of biodiversity poses an imminent threat to the urban environment, infrastructures...
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Completed
2024 Biodiversity Forum in Hwaseong
Since 2014, after holding the 4th Summit for Subnational Governments & Cities at CBD COP12 in Pyeong...
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Completed
2023 Biodiversity Forum in Changwon
Since 2014, after holding the 4th Summit for Subnational Governments & Cities at CBD COP12 in Pyeong...
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Active
2019 Local Biodiversity Forum in Ulsan
Global electricity demand is projected to increase by 69% by 2040 , further exacerbating the challen...
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Completed
7th Global Biodiversity Summit of Local and Subnational Governments
With the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 drawing to a close, a new post-2020 Global Biodiv...
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Completed
BIO2020 – Brazilian Perspectives for the Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework
This event was part of the roadmap to collect contributions for the “Post-2020 Biodiversity Framew...
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Active
Capacity-building Programme on Gender-responsive Approach for Local Biodiversity Action
Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and its subsequent decisions indicates gender-responsive approac...
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Completed
Developing People’s Biodiversity Registers for Goa Villages
The Conference on Biological Diversity has acknowledged that traditional knowledge related to medici...
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Active
Integrated Action on Biodiversity
INTERACT Bio is a 4-year project designed to improve the utilization and management of nature within...
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Active
Localization of Singapore Index on Cities’ Biodiversity (SI) in China
The Singapore Index, initially designed to measure biodiversity in urban environments, provides a va...
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reducing waste
Zero Waste cities
Cities are grappling with rising waste, resource scarcity, and environmental degradation driven by unsustainable linear economies. Circular development offers a powerful alternative by rethinking how resources are used, reused, and shared to create thriving, low-waste communities. Ahead of the Zero Waste Forum 2026 (5-7 June, Istanbul, Türkiye), cities are demonstrating how transforming our relationship with materials, consumption, and the environment can help build a more sustainable future.
Active
ICLEI Circulars
Local governments are at the frontline of the pressing waste and resource challenges triggered by th...
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Active
Towards circular economy in the plastic packaging value chain
Plastics production has surged over the past 50 years, from 15 million tonnes in 1964 to 311 million...
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Active
Local and Subnational Governments Coalition to End Plastic Pollution
The rapidly increasing levels of plastic pollution represent a serious global environmental issue th...
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Active
Circular City Labs – Testing reusable packaging systems in cities
The Circular City Labs (CCL) project aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through waste pre...
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Active
Circular Food System
By estimation, in 2050 cities will consume 80% of the food. On the other hand, Asia is responsible f...
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Active
Circular Turku: Regional Collaboration for Resource Wisdom
The current linear economy relies on intensive resource extraction where the majority of materials a...
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Active
Circular City Labs
This type of project is developed in response to the need to transition from a linear economic model...
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Active
Changing practices and Habits through Open, Responsible, and social Innovation towards ZerΟ food waste
The project´s main goal is to address existing research gaps and will use its outcomes to deliver a...
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Active
GLOBAL BEST PRACTICES ON EMERGING CHEMICAL POLICY ISSUES OF CONCERN UNDER THE STRATEGIC APPROACH TO INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS MANAGEMENT
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is supporting a SAICM project on global best practices for eme...
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Active
PlastiCircle
In the European Union, around 25.8 million tonnes of plastic waste is produced each year. Not even...
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Completed
Development of Holistic Strategy and Action Plan for Plastic Waste Management in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation
Plastic waste management is a deep rooted urban problem. Telangana state government along with Great...
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Featured city
Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei
An ICLEI Member since 2006, Kaohsiung City is the leading industrial and port hub located on the island of Taiwan. Committed to ambitious climate goals, the city aims to cut CO₂ emissions by 80% by 2050. Kaohsiung launched the first Net-Zero Industrial Alliances, supporting industrial cities in reducing emissions by leveraging larger enterprises to aid smaller ones. It also enacted the Net-Zero Development Ordinance, mandating net-zero emissions by 2050, and founded the Net-Zero Institute to develop expertise in green technology.
Building on its success with the EcoMobility Alliance, a network of 30 cities advancing sustainable mobility, Kaohsiung introduced the Kaohsiung-ICLEI Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Community of Practice in 2024. This initiative aims to be a hub for knowledge sharing and exchange on critical climate neutrality issues, particularly across cities in East Asia and the Asia Pacific.
2026 Kaohsiung Smart City Summit & Expo-The 3rd CITYCOP Forum
The Kaohsiung Smart City Summit & Expo (KSCSE) is an annual flagship platform hosted in…
Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Community of Practice – Thematic Workshops: AI-Assisted Climate Transition
The Kaohsiung-ICLEI Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Community of Practice (ComP) is a two-year platform,…
Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Community of Practice – Thematic Workshops: Sustainable Energy
The Kaohsiung-ICLEI Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Community of Practice (ComP) is a two-year platform,…
[Kaohsiung Smart City Expo] 2025 CityCOP Forum
Corresponding to major of COP30 and featuring the signing ceremony of Climate Neutral and Smart…
2023 Kaohsiung Smart City Expo: Sustainable City Summit and ICLEI Member Assembly
Industrial cities have made significant contributions to the economies of many countries, but the long-term…
Workshops Towards a Sustainable and Resilient Kaohsiung
Since municipal governance in Chinese Taipei requires the harmonious collaboration and consensus between City Government…
2019 Annual Assembly for ICLEI Taiwan Members
To make a consensus and common visions throughout ICLEI Members in Taiwan, ICLEI KCC undertakes…
Workshop on Climate Reporting Towards Ambitious Local Actions
Beginning in April 2019, local and regional governments will report their climate action once on…
2019 ICDF x ICLEI KCC Workshop on Water Management (International Class)
The class is the 3rd collaborating program between ICLEI KCC and ICDF as part of…
Our five pathways
How we are working across the five pathways
With more than 2500 cities, towns and regions from around the world engaged in our work, ICLEI is the largest network of local and regional governments committed to sustainability