Local and regional governments, and ICLEI
When a group of forward-thinking cities founded ICLEI in 1990, they took action for sustainability, well before sustainable development was the predominant model for change. The entry point was protecting and conserving the environment. Since then, ICLEI’s global network has evolved with a focus on mainstreaming sustainable development in all aspects of life, within and interacting with all who congregate, live, trade, work, co-create and recreate in and around our cities, our towns, and our regions.
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.
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.
Over time, ICLEI has expanded and developed, and we are now working in more than 100 countries, with global experts in over 20 offices. Through our collective efforts to build a sustainable urban world, ICLEI is shifting the trajectory of global development.
