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.
This year’s global climate conference was a watershed year for cities and regions
COP28, short for the 28th Conference of the Parties, began on 30 November 2023 and concluded on 13 December 2023. Taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, COP28 is more than just a meeting; it’s a pivotal event in the ongoing global effort to tackle the climate crisis.
This conference brought together leaders and representatives from nearly every country, along with experts, activists, and observers, to discuss and negotiate actions against climate change. This year, hundreds of mayors, city councilors, governors and other local and state leaders, including more than 170 ICLEI Members, also attended.
At COP28, these leaders spoke as the voice of communities around the world, demanding more ambitious climate goals from countries, active collaboration in their design and implementation and funding to translate those ambitions into projects on the ground.
These were some of the highlights of COP28
Hundreds of ICLEI Members attended COP28. This is a summary of ICLEI’s position following the outcomes of the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP28)
We, the undersigned local and regional leaders from ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability who attended COP28, welcome the key outcomes, including the unprecedented but necessary call to “transition away from fossil fuels,” the setting of the global goal on adaptation and the establishment and funding of a critically needed Loss and Damage fund. As a part of ICLEI, the global network working with more than 2,500 local and regional governments in 125+ countries committed to sustainable development, we applaud the outcomes of COP28 as a critical opportunity for all countries to accelerate climate efforts and chart a course toward a more sustainable and resilient future with all levels of government effectively working together.
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As the world grapples with the harsh reality of falling off the Paris Agreement track, the COP28 Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnership (CHAMP) for Climate Action, provides a small ray of hope for getting back on track. The initiative commits endorsing countries to enhance cooperation with their local, regional and other subnational governments – including cities, towns, states and regions – to collectively pursue efforts to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
The goal of the pledge is to help nations to achieve Paris Agreement goals, by working with and harvesting contributions from local and other subnational governments for planning, financing and implementation of climate strategies and actions. CHAMP shows that leaders at every level are working together to solve the climate crisis.
CHAMP was developed in consultation with subnational leaders and stakeholders, including America Is All In, Bloomberg Philanthropies, C40 Cities, CDP, European Climate Foundation, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, ICLEI, NDC Partnership, UN Climate Change High-Level Champions, Under2 Coalition, UN-Habitat, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities and others.
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At COP28, as local and regional leaders, we had a seat at the table like never before. We recognize and commend the leadership of the COP28 Presidency, as well as High Level Champion Razan Mubarak and all UAE COP28 Team, supported by UNFCCC Secretariat, to make our contributions visible within the official COP agenda. This level of inclusion has set the bar high for future COP summits.
COP28 Presidency and Bloomberg Philanthropies hosted historic Local Climate Action Summit to celebrate and scale multi-level climate partnerships
Mayor Baraniko Baaro, Teinainano Urban Council on Tarawa Island, Kiribati addresses heads of state at a high level intervention
The Ministerial Meeting convened more than 1000 attendees, including 40 Ministers and more than 200 subnational leaders in collaboration with the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency to the UNFCCC.
The UNFCCC COP28 and CBD COP15 Presidencies brought together governments and leaders across society at a ministerial roundtable to discuss the importance, challenges, and opportunities in adopting a synergetic approach in the design and implementation of national climate and biodiversity plans and strategies.
No time to lose: the EU must bring multilevel governance home to implement COP28 outcomes
Discover moreShowcasing the power and collective work of Japanese local and regional governments
Discover moreCities in the island of taiwan connect to the world
(in Chinese)
ICLEI Members, leaders and experts participated in dozens of interventions, sessions and events throughout the two weeks of COP, on themes including:
Sessions from the Multilevel Action & Urbanization Pavilion, co-convened by ICLEI, as the LGMA Focal Point, and UN-Habitat, were recorded. You can watch these sessions on YouTube.
Watch the recordingsThe Local Governments and Municipal Authorities Constituency (LGMA) is the Voice of Cities and Regions in the UNFCCC climate process. ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability acts as the LGMA Focal Point. The LGMA released a statement on outcomes of COP28, which celebrated the inclusion of multilevel action and cooperation in the proceedings and outcomes but wanted faster and more concrete outcomes on the fossil fuel transition and global adaptation goal. ICLEI leaders weighed in as part of the Constituency.
Read the statement
Open during the entire COP28 program, the Multilevel Action & Urbanization Pavillion provided a space for local, national, and international leaders to meet and exchange.
The Pavilion was co-convened by UN-Habitat and ICLEI as the focal point of the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA Constituency). The Pavilion was co-hosted by the Scottish Government and Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) and C40 Cities.
All sessions livestreamed at the Pavilion are available to watch on YouTube.
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In 2023, there were a slate of multilateral outcomes that explicitly recognize local and regional government leadership and the need for parties to involve all levels of government in climate action planning and financing. These included outcomes from the G7, G20, African Climate Summit, Amazon Climate Summit, UN-Habitat Assembly Resolution and UNCAS 2023 Chairs’ Summary, which all make reference to multilevel cooperation.
Cities and regions advocacy victories throughout 2023:
Press releases, announcements and exclusives from the ICLEI Network
The world's cities, regions and other subnational governments are calling on Parties to adopt multilevel collaboration to ensure that the goal of 1.5 degrees can still be met.
62 Countries Answer Call for Deeper Cooperation with Cities, Regions and Other Subnational Governments
Multilevel action and cooperation is at the heart of the response to the climate emergency
A summary of the ICLEI’s position following the outcomes of the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP28)
A key element of Daring Cities 2023 was to bring the key outcomes of the forum to COP28. Local and regional leaders advocated for the outcomes to find their way into the result of the event. The key outcomes include:
We ask our fellow local and regional governments, communities and stakeholders at large and national governments and the intergovernmental community, to engage with and work towards these key findings.
Learn moreGino Van Begin has been the distinguished Secretary General of ICLEI since 2013. Before that, he served as ICLEI Regional Director for Europe and as Deputy Secretary General. He has ensured ICLEI performs as a responsible, forward-looking, not-for-profit local and regional government organization serving its Members worldwide. Gino Van Begin graduated with a law degree from the University of Brussels as a lawyer and speaks Dutch, French, English, German and Russian. For more information, please visit his full profile here.
Yunus leads the global advocacy team at ICLEI. Since 2013, he has led global advocacy towards international bodies and multilateral agreements. Yunus helped establish the Bonn Center for Local Climate Action and Reporting – carbonn – and served as the Director of the Secretariat for the World Mayors Council on Climate Change. He has a background in environmental engineering.
Ariel Dekovic is a nonprofit marketing and program development expert with a strong track record of organizational management and community engagement. For over 15 years, she has worked strategically to raise the impact and brand awareness for global organizations in such diverse fields as sustainability, food policy, water management, arts and education. Ariel has an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and a BA from Vassar College.
Tu My leads the Sustainable Mobility Program at ICLEI, overseeing initiatives towards integrated, socially-inclusive, and environmentally-friendly urban mobility for people and goods. Experienced in partnership building, project management, and workshop facilitation, Tu My has a background in management and international relations. Tu My is proficient in Italian, English, Spanish, and German.
Eszter manages the Innovative Finance Team within ICLEI’s Low Emission Development and Resilient pathways. Her job focuses on unlocking and catalyzing financial flows to local and regional communities. She has 20 years of experience in managing and leading various sustainability oriented projects in different national and international organizations, providing assistance and analytical support to matters related to climate finance. Eszter has a background in economics and business administration.
Pourya coordinates the research activities at the World Secretariat. He manages, supervises, and coordinates research projects for ICLEI, Chief among them the IFWEN project. Pourya is also the coordinator of ICLEI Global Research. Graduated from the Technical University of Munich and with more than 8 years of professional experience, Pourya represents ICLEI in research-related spaces and is a member of GCoM’s Research & Innovation Technical Working Group.
Rohit, a senior energy expert, heads ICLEI’s Sustainable Energy program. With over 13 years of expertise in renewables, energy management, and project finance, he leads ICLEI’s flagship effort in transitioning Cities & Regions to 100% Renewables. His portfolio encompasses ICLEI’s vision for global energy transformation toward a resilient, net-zero emission future. Rohit offers policy and technical assistance, along with distilled knowledge, supporting subnational governments worldwide in their commitment to sustainability. With an engineering background in renewables and energy management, he fluently communicates in English and Hindi and possesses professional proficiency in German.
Joseph leads the ICLEI Knowledge Management & Global Events team. He manages the strategic development of data and knowledge management systems used by the global organization, and advises on the development and use of sustainability indicators and performance reporting systems. Joseph has also coordinated several of global conferences at ICLEI. He has a background in environmental governance.
Alyssa leads the Climate Action team through strategy, program management, stakeholder relations, advocacy and fundraising to support projects like UrbanShift, CDP-ICLEI Track, GCoM, and GreenClimateCities. With over 15 years non-profit and local government experience, Alyssa joins us in Bonn after previously serving as Communications Project Manager representing the mayor’s office for the City of Columbus, USA on their smart city initiative, Smart Columbus. Alyssa holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration and Communications from Capital University.
Matteo is a social media and communication professional with experience in international and governmental organizations in Europe and the US. With a background on economics, politics and rehabilitation support for disabled children, Matteo is committed to fostering inclusive climate action that leaves no one behind. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations & a Bachelor’s in Economics.
Giulia coordinates the planning, organization and implementation of ICLEI’s global events and worked as administrator for the project “Global Platform for Sustainable Cities”, a multi-faceted project under the Global Environment Facility (GEF). With an academic background in foreign languages and tourism management, Giulia has experience in project management and events organization.
Karishma supports project coordination, climate research, and communication for integrated climate and energy action, supporting sub-national governments to achieve climate neutrality. She also supports ICLEI’s GreenClimateCities (GCC) Program and the Solutions Gateway. Karishma is experienced in working on sustainable urban energy transition, spatial planning and youth engagement in climate policy. She has a background in urbanism and architecture with professional work experience in the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates.
León assists the Secretary General in his priority planning, supporting decision making, and acting as hub for strategic communication with partners, as well as between different ICLEI teams and offices. León has experience in working with cities and subnational governments. He holds an MSc in City Design and Social Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Kanak supports ICLEI’s work in the 100% Renewables Regions and Cities Roadmaps project under the International Climate Initiative (IKI), as well as the 100% Renewables Network. Her background is in energy policy and international relations, and she has previously worked in various public policy institutions and international organizations in France and India.
Johanna supports the planning and implementation of ICLEI’s global events, ranging from event logistics and technical preparations to participant support and communications. Her previous experience includes policy analysis and event planning with the Canadian federal government. Johanna’s academic background is in environmental management and the relationship between circular economy and biodiversity.
David contributes to implementing ICLEI’s Global Research Strategy and supports the coordination of research activities, including the EU-funded project: RethinkAction. He holds an MSc in City and Regional Planning from the University of Cape Town, South Africa and completed his PhD in Urban Studies at the Queensland University of Technology in Australia. Before joining ICLEI, he collected international experience in urban planning and citizen engagement projects as well as urban analytics.
Heba is an urban planner and architect. Her career and advocacy activities are focused on inclusive and sustainable urban mobility. She holds a BSc from Alexandria University and an MSc in urban Development from TU Berlin. Heba is a junior sustainable mobility officer in the ICLEI World Secretariat with a focus on community engagement, climate advocacy and mobility projects in the global south.
Madison supports the Global Advocacy Team in its efforts to localize international climate negotiations and strengthen global support for subnational climate action. She has experience in city-level climate action planning, environmental data reporting, and organic waste recycling. She holds a degree in environmental engineering and is pursuing a Masters Degree in Climate Science and Policy at Bard College in New York State, USA.