“We are active in more than 125 countries, driving local action for equitable, zero-emission, resilient, nature-based, and circular development,” said Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, Mayor of Malmö, Sweden, and President of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, at the ICLEI World Congress 2024, the triennial global gathering of the world’s largest city and region sustainability network.
Mayor Jammeh’s words reflect ICLEI’s five interconnected pathways that transcend sectors and jurisdictions to achieve sustainable urban development.
These five pathways are at the core of the newly launched ICLEI São Paulo Strategic Vision 2024-2030, “The Power of Our Network in a Changing World.”
Did you miss out on joining us in São Paulo for the ICLEI World Congress 2024? Here are five major announcements from the Congress, all finding synergies within these pathways.
Zero-emission development: ICLEI-Kaohsiung to host a smart and net zero cities community
Kaohsiung, on the island of Taiwan, has partnered with ICLEI to host the Smart and Net Zero Cities Community, a hub for cities aiming for net zero by 2050. Through the ICLEI Capacity Center for East Asia, located in Kaohsiung, the multi-year initiative focuses on climate neutrality and smart city development, fostering a community of practice for knowledge sharing and exchange among East Asian and Asia Pacific cities.
This partnership supports the Kaohsiung-led Net-Zero Industrial Alliance, which helps industrial cities reduce carbon emissions by leveraging the know-how of larger enterprises to support smaller ones. As Taiwan’s largest industrial city, Kaohsiung aims to demonstrate that industrial powerhouses can achieve ambitious climate goals through innovation, legislative action, and capacity building.
Nature-based development: Cities and Regions Biodiversity Summit announced for the Biodiversity COP in Cali, Colombia
The 8th Summit for Subnational Governments and Cities, an official parallel event to the Convention on Biological Diversity COP16, will take place on 26 October as part of the 3-day COP16 programme. Announced by ICLEI and the City of Cali, this summit continues a proud tradition, being the eighth such event since the first summit convened 14 years ago.
The summit aligns with CBD COP16 objectives of assessing progress and showcasing subnational biodiversity actions contributing to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This framework aims to achieve a global vision of living in harmony with nature by 2050, with goals to curb biodiversity loss by 2030.
Local and subnational government leaders worldwide and key stakeholders are invited to participate in high-level dialogues on implementing nature-based solutions and the critical issue of leveraging financing and investment in biodiversity and nature at the local and territorial scale.
Circular development: New signatories to a coalition to end plastic pollution
What do Chefchaouen (Morocco), Matosinhos (Portugal), and the state of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) have in common? They are among the ten local and subnational governments across five continents that pledged support for the Local and Subnational Governments Coalition to End Plastic Pollution during the ICLEI World Congress 2024. This coalition aims to integrate city and regional voices ahead of the upcoming legally binding Global Plastics Treaty.
Launched in April by ICLEI, the governments of Quebec and Catalonia, and UCLG, the coalition’s purpose is to ensure that an ambitious yet practical instrument is collectively shaped with local and subnational governments, as their unique expertise is critical to avoiding single-use materials and delivering equitable and inclusive opportunities through a circular economy.
Equitable development: ICLEI’s Gender Declaration unveiled
ICLEI’s new Gender Declaration marks a significant commitment to embedding gender equity into the organization’s core mission. This declaration will guide ICLEI’s network, focusing on empowering women, addressing gender-specific challenges, and fostering inclusive governance and gender-responsive urban planning.
The declaration aligns with the Malmö Commitment on Inclusive and Equitable Communities, co-founded in 2022 by ICLEI and the City of Malmö under Mayor Jammeh’s leadership. The initiative is a pledge that embeds social equity at the core of local sustainable development, highlighting the necessity of gender equity and inclusivity.
Resilient development: Seven Latin American cities pioneering climate insurance to enhance urban resilience
Curitiba, Porto Alegre and Recife in Brazil; Reynosa and Mérida in Mexico; Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and Kingston, Jamaica, are the first seven cities to join the Urban Infrastructure Insurance Facility (UIIF), committing to strengthening their disaster risk management strategies to enhance urban resilience.
As one of the most urbanised and socially unequal regions in the world, Latin America and the Caribbean also is hit harder by the onslaught of climate change. More than 100 million people in the region live in urban slums, with their livelihoods frequently disrupted by increasing natural hazards.
Through the UIFF project, these cities will undergo a risk assessment of their critical assets and areas, which will inform insurance coverage products to meet their specific needs. These products aim to ensure that vulnerable groups can access financial resources after a natural disaster, enabling them to rebuild their homes and livelihoods.
