The Kaohsiung-ICLEI Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Community of Practice (ComP) is designed to build a powerful cohort of leading cities, towns, provinces, and subnational states from East Asia and the Asia-Pacific regions that will actively collaborate over two years (2025-2026) to accelerate climate neutrality and smart city solutions.
As part of the program, participating cities will engage in capacity-building workshops and peer-learning events, starting with the first in-person workshops series on 18-19 March 2025, hosted in Kaohsiung City, which is the Chair of the ComP.
This is the first time that potential ComP member cities will gather together, including Yokohama and Kyoto (Japan), Batangas and Iloilo (Philippines), Newcastle (Australia), with Goyang City (Republic of Korea) expressing their interest and, of course, the host city, Kaohsiung.
Led by ICLEI and invited global experts, the workshop will provide Kaohsiung City officials and representatives from the six participating cities—with strategic tools, knowledge, and networking to advance climate-neutral urban transformation.
The first day will focus on public-private partnerships for advancing circularity, offering participants a deep dive into circular economy principles. Through ICLEI’s Circular Cities Action Framework and policy toolbox, cities will explore policy mechanisms that drive circularity while showcasing successful circular economy projects—particularly in construction and urban infrastructure. The session will highlight initiatives that have attracted investment, spurred entrepreneurship, and contributed to emissions reduction, fostering technical exchanges on circular built environment strategies.
On the second day, the focus shifts to agenda-serving innovation, a strategic approach that integrates transformative solutions aligned with human needs and climate and sustainability goals. Participants will explore real-world examples of how cities can cultivate innovation ecosystems that propel net-zero targets and establish themselves as global leaders and solution-providers in sustainable urban development. Insights from an Expanded Climate and Innovation Agenda for Cities and Regions (ECIA)—a joint initiative by Mission Innovation, the UNFCCC Global Innovation Hub, and ICLEI—will equip cities with practical tools to advance their climate and innovation strategies.
Discussions will include findings from ICLEI’s Integrated Sustainable Urban Development Agenda (ISUDA) survey conducted to Kaohsiung City officials, providing a data-driven understanding of the city’s strengths, priorities and challenges to guide climate action and governance. The session will also highlight best practices and lessons from global initiatives, drawing on expertise from Mission Innovation, the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), and the Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GeSI).
This inaugural workshop series precedes the Kaohsiung Smart City Summit & Expo (20–22 March), a key international exchange platform for advancing smart city development. A highlight of the expo will be the CityCOP High-Level Forum on 21 March, co-organized by Kaohsiung City and ICLEI, under the theme “Promoting Climate-Neutral Innovation and Community Power.” Aligned with COP30, the forum will explore city-level implementation of resource circulation, nature integration and biodiversity, and green transportation.
The event will also host the official signing of the Kaohsiung-ICLEI Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Community of Practice agreement, formalizing the collaboration between Kaohsiung City and ICLEI. This agreement kickstarts the Community of Practice, driving the co-creation of next-generation climate solutions through targeted strategies in circular economy, energy transition, sustainable urban planning, resilient mobility systems, and innovative finance mechanisms.
Learn more about the Kaohsiung-ICLEI ComP and express your interest to join here.
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