Town Hall COPs: Connecting climate action at all levels

ICLEI is bringing the 2025 results of the initiative to COP30, sharing lessons from communities across the globe on how Town Hall COPs are ensuring that local climate dialogues can shape national climate action.

On 12 November, at COP30, Australia’s National Pavilion hosted a high-level workshop which showcased how locally-led Town Hall COPs are advancing inclusive, community-driven contributions to national and global climate goals. The session featured insights from Town Hall COPs hosted by Adelaide and Greater Sydney, as well as from Kiribati.

South Africa’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment announced its official endorsement of the Town Hall COP Initiative, the first-ever national government to do so. In partnership, ICLEI and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) will offer a series of Town Hall COPs in communities across the country.

South Australian council leaders gathered at Adelaide Town Hall for the state's first Town Hall COP as the state ramps up its bid to host COP31 next year.

More than 85 local governments and NGOs across over 40 countries have registered to host events that are community-led, nationally relevant, and transformation-oriented.

Malaysia’s capital became ASEAN's first city to host a Town Hall COP. Discussions held throughout the ASEAN Forums launched the Kuala Lumpur Call to Action for COP30 to integrate the New Urban Agenda into the UNFCCC process.

Hosted in Tarawa, the event adopted the Ikarekebai Declaration, urging major emitters to act, as Kiribati pledges action through its traditional maneaba system of collaboration.

This Daring Cities Virtual Forum session, featured insights from national and local leaders from South Africa and Australia on how the Town Hall COP Initiative is emerging as a powerful model to make climate action locally led, transformation-oriented, and most importantly, nationally relevant. Watch the recording.

In this video, Dorah Marema, Head of the Municipal Sustainability Portfolio of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) , shares insights on the country's endorsement of the Town Hall COP Initiative.

Watch this video, featuring Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen of Coral Springs, who serves on the ICLEI USA Board of Directors, as she announces the city’s upcoming Town Hall COP, a unique opportunity for residents to amplify their voices and share their climate concerns.

ICLEI’s Town Hall COP Initiative is emerging as a powerful model to make climate action truly locally led, transformation-oriented, and, most importantly, nationally relevant.

Since launching in early 2025, the Town Hall COP Initiative has gained momentum, with 70+ local governments and civil society organizations registered to host an event. Seven cities in six countries have already hosted their Town Hall COPs, and South Africa became the first national government to officially endorse the initiative.

On 13 March 2025, Greater Sydney hosted one of the first Town Hall COPs for 2025 - part of a growing global effort to place local priorities at the center of national and international climate decision-making.

Town Hall COPs are redefining what inclusive, multilevel climate governance looks like on the road to COP30.

Looking ahead to COP30, what cities and regions do in advance of this global climate summit may matter more than the conference itself. On the road to Belém, local and regional governments have a unique opportunity to engage with their national governments, shift the trajectory of the climate emergency, and push for inclusive, multilevel climate action.

On Earth Day, 22 April 2025, ICLEI launched the Town Hall COP Initiative. In the months that follow, cities and towns around the world will host their own “Town Hall COPs.” The outcomes of these dialogues will be shared with national governments and integrated into the UNFCCC process through ICLEI’s role as Focal Point of the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency.