Since 2010, Seoul has hosted annual international forums on air quality and biennial mayoral forums on climate change to foster discussions on urban air quality improvement and climate actions. Based on the past years’ experience and recognizing the interconnectedness of air pollution and climate issues, Seoul has merged these forums into a single event called the “Seoul International Forum on Climate and Environment” to streamline efforts towards sustainable development and achieving carbon neutrality. As an official partner, ICLEI East Asia leverages it global network to support the organization of the Forum and supports Seoul Metropolitan Government to spotlight innovative solutions and fosters a collaborative environment for stakeholders to drive meaningful change in urban sustainability.

Over the past two decades, ICLEI, has worked closely with the United Nations Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and a range of partners to elevate the voice of local and subnational governments and ensure that strong action is taken to create vibrant cities and regions, where people and biodiversity can thrive, including organizing “Global Biodiversity Summits of Cities & Subnational Governments”. At the CBD COP, local governments play a critical role in shaping global biodiversity agendas, ensuring that the voices of cities and regions are heard in international discussions. This involvement is crucial for aligning local conservation efforts with global targets and policies, highlighting the importance of integrated approaches across different governance levels for effective biodiversity conservation.

Since the 1992 Earth Summit, the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency has been the voice for networks of local and regional governments under the UNFCCC, representing them since the first Conference of Parties (COP) in 1995. The LGMA serves as the primary channel for these groups, coordinating their inputs and influencing global climate negotiations, and ICLEI has been serving as the LGMA’s focal point. Each year, LGMA supports the COP Presidencies and advance initiatives such as the transition from “Friends of Cities” to the broader “UNFCCC Friends of Multilevel Action” to ensure that local perspectives shape the decisions in UNFCCC processes. Also, ICLEI leads the organization of LGMA pavilion under each COP, serving as a global stage to highlight the challenges, achievements, and commitments of local and subnational actors in climate action. This inclusive platform united cities, towns, regions, and various stakeholders within the LGMA Constituency, fostering collaboration to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.

The climate emergency is happening right now, in our cities, towns, and regions around the world. Our global leaders are struggling to address this urgent crisis. But the daring actions of local leaders are spreading around the globe.

Created by ICLEI and the Federal City of Bonn, Daring Cities is a virtual, action-oriented forum to recognize and empower courageous urban leaders – including mayors and other decision-makers, technical staff, researchers, private sector representatives, and community organizers – to disrupt business-as-usual and shift towards business-as-possible. Daring Cities showcases and catalyzes exemplary local climate action to tackle the climate emergency, including ambitious resilience-building and climate mitigation efforts.

Find out more at daringcities.org

The Resilience Cities Congress convened annually from 2010 to 2019 by ICLEI and the Federal City of Bonn, providing a global and open space for urban practitioners, policymakers, and researchers working in urban resilience and climate change adaptation. It built an active, informed, and committed community and played a key role in mainstreaming urban resilience in global agreements and processes.

During the 10 years of the Congress, thousands of experts from over 80 countries actively participated in and collaborated on hundreds of capacity-building sessions. Building on the experience and network established during the Congress, the newly launched Daring Cities provides a virtual, action-oriented forum to recognize and empower courageous urban leaders to disrupt business-as-usual and shift towards business-as-possible.

The report Resilient Cities, Thriving Cities: The Evolution of Urban Resilience provides an appraisal of the state of resilient cities from the last decade, as well as the actions of the main players in respective fields.