On 9 June 2026, ICLEI’s Global Executive Committee (GexCom) convened in Bonn, Germany, bringing together local and regional leaders from across the globe to help shape the organization’s strategic direction and priorities for the years ahead.
The meeting marked the first in-person gathering for several newly appointed GexCom members and provided an opportunity to strengthen collaboration at a critical moment for global climate, biodiversity, and sustainable development efforts.
ICLEI is pleased to welcome new leaders joining the Global Executive Committee, including Piia Elo (Mayor of Turku, Finland), who was recently elected as Regional seat for Europe, and as ICLEI Vice President, and Takeharu Yamanaka (Mayor of Yokohama, Japan), ICLEI’s new Circular Development portfolio holder.
Ursula Sautter, Deputy Mayor of the Federal City of Bonn, Germany, has been appointed to the UN Sustainability Governance Portfolio for the remainder of the 2024–2027 term.
Juan Diego Zelaya, (Mayor of the Central District of Tegucigalpa, Honduras), Lindsey Horvath, (Supervisor of Los Angeles County, United States) and Javier López Casarín, (Mayor of the Borough of Álvaro Obregón, Mexico) were introduced as Resilient Development portfolio holder, North America regional representative and Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean regional representative to the GexCom respectively.
With ICLEI’s World Secretariat based in Bonn, and Bonn serving as host of the Daring Cities initiative, the appointment of Deputy Mayor Sautter deepens the connections with the city.
A long-standing advocate for international cooperation and inclusion, Deputy Mayor Sautter brings extensive experience from journalism, civil society, and public service. Her GexCom Portfolio reflects ICLEI’s commitment to advancing stronger connections between local action and global sustainability agendas.
“As Germany’s United Nations City of 30 years, Bonn has been stimulating and facilitating local contributions to global agendas since the late 1990s, mostly together with ICLEI,” said Deputy Mayor Sautter. “For us, local action and global collaboration belong together.”
This timely meeting took place alongside the UN Climate Change Talks (SB64) and the Daring Cities 2026 Bonn Dialogues, providing opportunities for our leadership to engage directly in global discussions on climate action, multilevel governance, resilience, and sustainable urban development. Through ICLEI’s role as the focal point organization of the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency, leaders also contributed to amplifying the voice of local and regional governments within the UN climate process.
Strong local leadership is more important than ever. Under the guidance of the ICLEI Presidium, ICLEI President Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh (Mayor of Malmö, Sweden), and Vice Presidents Mohamed Sefiani (Mayor of Chefchaouen, Morocco); Marjorie Kauffmann (Secretary of State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil); and Piia Elo (Mayor of Turku, Finland), the GexCom continues to ensure that ICLEI remains responsive to the needs, ambitions, and innovations of its global network.
As the current governance term enters its final year, this GexCom meeting marked an important step in preparing for key milestones ahead, including COP31, while strengthening collaboration across regions to accelerate the transition toward sustainable, resilient, and equitable urban development.
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