Mayor of Bonn, Ashok Sridharan was officially elected as ICLEI President for the 2018 to 2021 term as of 1 June 2018.

As ICLEI President, Mayor Sridharan of Bonn will lead the ICLEI network of more than 1,500 local and regional governments transforming our urban world.

Mayor Sridharan is committed to sustainability leadership at home in Bonn and to sparking worldwide action. In Bonn, the motto of UN Bonn Shaping a Sustainable Future equally represents key guiding principles for the city: equitable local development, international cooperation and global advocacy – three areas where Mayor Sridharan is active and engaged. As Mayor of Bonn, a city home to 19 United Nations agencies, Mayor Sridharan is active at the global level, representing local and regional governments at key global fora, including the international climate negotiations.

The mayor is taking the reigns right when the local and regional leaders of ICLEI are issuing new commitments to scale up sustainable urban development worldwide. At the ICLEI World Congress 2018 in Montréal on 19 to 22 June, the network will come together to set a course for worldwide action from now until 2024, through the ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision.

“As ICLEI President, I will proudly carry forward the ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision,” said Mayor Sridharan. “It is in our hands to act with a sense of urgency as we transform urban areas across the world, and secure a sustainable future for what will soon be two-thirds of humankind.”

On 1 June 2018, Mayor Sridharan was elected by the ICLEI Global Executive Committee, a group of local and regional leaders elected by the network to represent ICLEI towards international institutions and make strategic decisions on behalf of the organization.

Mayor Sridharan succeeds Mayor Park Won Soon of Seoul, who led the ICLEI network as from 2015 to 2018. As President of ICLEI, Mayor Park was committed to sparking collective action and solidarity across the ICLEI network.

Home to the ICLEI global headquarters for 10 years, Bonn has been an active part of a decade in which ICLEI has strengthened the action and voices of local and regional governments on the global stage. Mayor Sridharan will continue to bring this forward as ICLEI President.