As part of the program led by ICLEI, the second in-person thematic capacity-building workshop series is held on 22–23 October, hosted by Kaohsiung City, Chair of the ComP.
The Kaohsiung-ICLEI Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Community of Practice (ComP) is a two-year, city-led platform for the Asia–Pacific region, chaired by Kaohsiung and managed by ICLEI’s World Secretariat and the Kaohsiung Capacity Center. Through capacity-building workshops and peer-learning, it brings together cities and subnational governments to co-create “next practices” across transformative innovation, circular economy, energy transition, sustainable urban planning, smart and resilient mobility, and innovative finance.
The initiative fosters knowledge exchange and regional partnerships, and distills insights from leading cities to guide ICLEI network Members on their net-zero and smart-city strategies. The ComP convenes its second in-person capacity-building workshop series, hosted by Kaohsiung City at its iconic Net Zero Institute.
Discussions will surface findings, good practices, and lessons from global initiatives, drawing on expertise from invited speakers from the Asian Transport Observatory (initiated by the Asian Development Bank), the International Road Federation, the Taiwan Impact Investing Association, Save the Children Global Ventures, Springs Global Consultancy, and Citi.
Committed to fostering knowledge exchange and collaboration between the City of Kaohsiung, participating cities, the private sector, as well as local and international industry leaders, international organizations, and innovators, the October in-person workshop series offers a two-day thematic program.
On the first day, the program focuses on current and emerging transport trends in Asia and the Pacific, particularly insights from the latest Asian Transport Outlook. Through hands-on activities, participants will work with local and global frameworks, such as Kaohsiung’s EcoMobility Strategies for the Future of Urban Mobility and the upcoming UN Decade for Sustainable Transport (2026–2035), to guide inclusive, climate-friendly mobility transitions.
A field visit to the Kaohsiung Intelligent Transport Center is also planned as a closure to Day 1 and the aim is to demonstrate real-time, cross-department data integration -public transport, parking, traffic safety, meteorology, and API services- showing how smart transport management strengthens emergency response and supports the city’s sustainable mobility goals. The experience continues with rides on the Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit system, including underground metro and surface light rail.
On the second day, the focus shifts to innovative finance. Cities will examine how green bonds could finance energy retrofits, wastewater treatment, and net-zero mobility; how blue bonds can protect coasts and marine ecosystems aligned with Kaohsiung’s Net-Zero Ordinance; and how resilience bonds can layer risk and insurance to draw capital to climate-resilient infrastructure. The agenda also explores FinTech solutions through climate micro-insurance and AI-enabled lending models to reach underserved communities facing environmental shocks. The aim is practical outputs that participants can refine, replicate, and scale.
The thematic workshop on Day 2 is particularly timely: Finance for climate action is the main theme of the Urban Transitions Mission – Global Innovation Summit 2025 (6 November, Rio de Janeiro), the core topic of the Business & Finance Forum at the COP30 Local Leaders Forum (3-5 November, Rio de Janeiro), and a major theme with a central negotiation track at UNFCCC COP30 in Belém later in November. Therefore, the dialogues on this day will set the stage for the upcoming events and send a clear signal: Cities are not just implementing the net-zero agenda; they are shaping it – and exploring and exporting solutions that finance climate neutrality in innovative ways.
Given the rich program and thematic relevance of this workshop series to many Asia-Pacific cities, a sizable delegation from the Philippines— including representatives from national agencies as well as the cities of Pasig and Quezon—is attending Kaohsiung for this series.
This second in-person thematic workshop series follows the first workshop series in 18–19 March 2025, which focused on circular development and transformative agenda-serving innovation. The next round of workshops is planned for 2026, covering climate action and sustainable energy, as well as CiBiX, ICLEI’s City-Business Collaboration Accelerator.
Learn more about the Kaohsiung-ICLEI ComP here.
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