A New Year’s Message from ICLEI President Mayor Frank Cownie
My Esteemed Colleagues – At the start of 2023, it’s a perfect time to reflect on our work from the past year. I’m always proud of ICLEI’s accomplishments, but this year feels like we’ve found our stride and are moving full steam ahead. Perhaps the best punctuation to this year’s achievements was our successful attendance […]
U.S. Representatives Champion Nature-Based Solutions at COP15
United States cities, counties, and states are calling for nature to have its “Paris Agreement moment” this month when they take part in an unprecedented show of leadership by local governments at the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15). For the first time at the “nature COP”, a […]
ICLEI USA Announces Awardees of $3 Million ICLEI USA Action Fund to Support Innovative Climate Action
During a U.S. focused session at UNFCCC’s 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) on November 16th, United States Best Practices in Funding Multilevel Action: Lessons from U.S. Local Leaders Implementing National Climate Legislation, ICLEI USA announced the three recipients of the ICLEI USA Action Fund, made possible through funding from Google.org. “Cities are at the […]
U.S. Mayors and Local Leaders Go to Egypt to Urge “All Hands On Deck” for the Climate Emergency at COP27
Following advocacy successes by ICLEI and partners in last year’s COP26, the historic Paris Climate Agreement now officially recognizes local governments as critical to achieving global climate outcomes. The delegation of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability USA (ICLEI) leaders at the UNFCCC’s 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) underscores the importance of the U.S. […]
Key Messages of U.S. Leaders During Daring Cities 2022
Key Messages of U.S. Leaders During Daring Cities 2022 This week, bold city leaders, practitioners, researchers, and experts are attending a virtual journey to tackle the multi-faceted challenges of financing humanity’s path out of the climate emergency. Across 13 workshops and seven high-level dialogues, Daring Cities 2022 inspired all to take action, with collaboration across […]
ICLEI USA & ResourceX Announce Partnership to Further Advance Sustainability and Climate Ambitions for Local Governments
Governments must continually juggle multiple issues of immediate importance. Resource scarcity and organizational constraints make it difficult to address “new” issues such as climate action. However, local governments don’t have the luxury of not preparing for the impacts of climate change. They have the unique opportunity to lead local climate action by helping their communities […]
How 8 U.S. Communities Model Holistic Recovery in the SDGs Cities Challenge
This blog post is co-written by Kale Roberts, Senior Program Officer, ICLEI USA, and Dr. Cathy Oke, Enterprise Principal Fellow in Informed Cities, University of Melbourne. The featured image is an exhibition about the SDGs in Berlin, Germany. Image: Inga Kjer / photothek.net, CC BY-ND 2.0. When the United Nations unveiled the 2030 Agenda in […]
U.S. Cities to Take Action for Nature Unlike Ever Before With Free Biodiversity Bootcamp
Communities will learn to finance nature-based solutions, integrate biodiversity within climate and sustainability action plans, and advocate through UN channels To prioritize nature-based solutions during the “Super Year for Nature” — a year when the global community is calling for nature to have its “Paris Agreement” moment — ICLEI USA is hosting a six-part “Biodiversity […]
Urbana, Illinois, Leads a Regional Biodiversity Planning Process with CitiesWithNature
A member of ICLEI USA, the City of Urbana, Ill., joined the CitiesWithNatureAction Platform to channel its previous nature and urban biodiversity work into a nationwide initiative, outlined by Sustainability & Resilience Officer Scott R. Tess in ICLEI Global’s 23rd Post 2020 Biodiversity Roadmap Webinar Series. Tess said that one of Urbana’s nature-based initiatives includes […]
The City of Austin, the City of Oberlin, and the City of San José Explore What It Means to Be an Equitably Sustainable City
“A truly resilient community is only achievable when natural and built environments support cohesive communities in which all residents have a voice and where diversity and cultural identities are woven into the social fabric.” This core tenet of ICLEI’s Equitable and People-Centered Pathway is a reminder to build just, inclusive, and livable communities. Equity is […]