Local and regional governments, and ICLEI
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is a global network of more than 1,750 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. Active in 100+ countries, we influence sustainability policy and drive local action through our five pathways towards low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient, and circular development.
ICLEI makes sustainability an integral part of urban development and creates systemic change in urban areas through practical, integrated solutions. We help cities, towns and regions anticipate and respond to complex challenges, from rapid urbanization and climate change to ecosystem degradation and inequity.
The local and regional governments in our network confront these challenges by incorporating sustainability into day-to-day operations and policy. We invest in the capacity and knowledge needed to design solutions and make decisions informed by data, scientific evidence, and local realities and pressures. Our five pathways are designed to create systemic change.
We work in cities, towns and regions of all sizes, with varying capacities and challenges. Many have set and reached ambitious targets and are at the forefront of sustainability, pioneering new solutions and challenging the status quo. Others are taking early steps towards transformation, strengthening their systems and capacities to achieve sustainability goals.
Across the world, ICLEI brings the latest global knowledge and solutions to the local context. Our Members and team of experts work together through peer exchange, partnerships and capacity building to create systemic change for urban sustainability.
ICLEI creates connections among the local, regional, national and global governmental levels, and forges strategic alliances with international organizations, national governments, academic and financial institutions, civil society, and the private sector. We create space for innovation within our multi-disciplinary teams and work alongside our partners to create new ways to support sustainable development at the urban scale.
When a pioneering group of local and regional governments founded ICLEI, they took action before sustainability was widely viewed as fundamental to development. For decades, our efforts have continued to put sustainability at the top of the agenda for local and regional governments across the world.
Over time, ICLEI has expanded and developed, and we are now working in more than 100 countries, with global experts in 22 offices. Through our collective efforts to build a sustainable urban world, ICLEI is shifting the trajectory of global development.
