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Sixth annual edition brings together all levels of government to accelerate climate ambition through inclusive governance.
16 June 2024 (Bonn, Germany) – The sixth edition of the Daring Cities Bonn Dialogues begins today and runs through 18 June, taking place alongside the UNFCCC Bonn Climate Change Conference (SB62). Co-convened by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and the Federal City of Bonn, Germany, this year’s event brings together worldwide local, regional, and national leaders, alongside key actors in the urban climate space to scale ambitious, inclusive, and multilevel climate action.
With major contributions from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Foundation for International Dialogue of the Savings Bank, the event features a three-day agenda bringing together 150 participants, including over 50 local, regional, and national leaders from five continents, to accelerate bold, inclusive climate action.
Under the theme “Stronger national climate plans through multilevel action,” the 2025 edition aims to serve as a pivotal platform for local and regional governments to influence global climate negotiations.
ICLEI, in its role as focal point of the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency, is also actively facilitating subnational government participation in the formal negotiation tracks of SB62 as part of Daring Cities 2025. The LGMA Constituency is the voice of towns, cities and regions, and all other subnationals in the UNFCCC processes. At the Daring Cities Bonn Dialogues, the LGMA COP30 Vision Letter will be launched, outlining priorities and proposals towards, in, and beyond Belém.
Building on the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships for Climate Action (CHAMP) Initiative successes, Daring Cities 2025 will actively support the second CHAMP UNFCCC Focal Points Dialogue. This platform enables national government endorsers and their strategic partners, including the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency, to assess progress and guide CHAMP’s implementation toward COP30.
Gino Van Begin, Secretary General of ICLEI, says: “Daring Cities will showcase frameworks and opportunities through which climate action and efforts at the local and regional levels can most effectively inform, influence and benefit from national level policy making. By spotlighting the Town Hall COP Initiative, the event is committed to create and sustain a cycle that connects local, national, and global climate action, driving real change from the ground up.”
Mr. Van Begin adds: “I am grateful for the continued support and leadership of Mayor Katja Dörner and the City of Bonn, as well as our partners. Through strengthened partnerships and knowledge exchange, we empower local, subnational, and national leaders to turn bold climate commitments into action.”
Katja Dörner, Mayor of Bonn and ICLEI Global Executive Committee Member, emphasizes: “Daring Cities continues bringing together local and regional leaders with national policymakers to shape stronger climate plans ahead of COP30 – bringing higher ambition and ensuring successful collaborative implementation throughout all levels of government after COP30.”
Niels Annen, State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, says: “Sustainable urban development is a key pillar for achieving international development and climate goals. In twenty years, 70 percent of the world’s population will live in cities. Already today more than half of all greenhouse gas emissions but also most of all climate-related investments are happening in cities. Platforms such as Daring Cities therefore play a vital role in bringing together pioneers needed to implement climate action effectively.”
The event features high-level dialogues discussing insights and strategies for multilevel climate action. Subnational leaders, private sector, academia, and civil society will focus on multilevel partnerships and how to ensure ambitious national climate plans (NDCs 3.0) are effectively implemented at all levels of government towards and after COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
Speakers include Niels Annen, State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development; Dan Ioschpe, UN COP30 High-Level Climate Champion; Antonio Da Costa e Silva, Ambassador, Ministry of Cities, Brazil, and Katja Dörner, Mayor of Bonn, ICLEI Global Executive Committee Member, and Vice President of the Association of German Cities.
Interactive Country Deep Dive discussions will explore how countries like Canada, Kenya, and South Africa are localizing their climate commitments. A special session will also highlight the Town Hall COP, ICLEI’s new global initiative that connects local communities to all levels of climate action, offering them a unique opportunity to help shape climate policy from the ground up.
Additional events include dynamic roundtable discussions on how to better engage science and business to respond to the climate emergency. Highlights feature the upcoming IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities, scaling urban energy efficiency through private sector engagement, and unlocking finance for nature-based solutions.
The full agenda for the Daring Cities 2025 Bonn Dialogues can be found here. On 18 June, the event “Insights for Multilevel Action” will be live-streamed here.
Daring Cities 2025 continues with the Daring Cities Virtual Forum from July to October, exploring challenges and opportunities to tackle the climate emergency. It concludes with a critical phase of advocacy, bringing Daring Cities’ key messages to major international environmental conferences, starting with those of Urban October and concluding with COP30.
For more information about Daring Cities 2025, visit daringcities.org.
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NOTE TO EDITORS
About Daring Cities:
Daring Cities, co-convened by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and the Federal City of Bonn, Germany, is a global initiative for urban leaders taking on the climate emergency. Created in 2020, this action-oriented forum is designed to empower urban decision-makers –such as mayors, city councilors, administrators, and urban thought leaders, as well as national government representatives, researchers, technical staff, business leaders, civil society decision-makers and community organizers– to lead in the climate emergency through ambitious and inclusive multilevel action.
About ICLEI:
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (known as “ICLEI”) is a global network of more than 2,500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. Active in 125+ countries, ICLEI influences sustainability policy and drives local action for low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development. ICLEI Members and its team of experts work together through peer exchange, partnerships and capacity building to create systemic change for urban sustainability.
To learn more about ICLEI, visit: https://iclei.org or follow us on LinkedIn, Bluesky and YouTube.
CONTACT
For media inquiries, please contact:
Ariel Dekovic, Head of Global Communications, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability
World Secretariat (Bonn, Germany)
Phone: +49 (0)177 190 2830| Email: ariel.dekovic@iclei.org