Every September, the climate community gathers for Climate Week NYC, North America’s leading climate event, to explore all-of-society solutions from cities, businesses, youth, and more. Running alongside the United Nations General Assembly meetings, Climate Week outcomes often hint at what we can expect later in the year at the UN Climate Conference (COP29) and beyond.
This year’s Climate Week NYC (September 22-29) coincides with the UN Summit of the Future (September 20-23), adding a new dimension to this critical time for climate advocacy. The Summit of the Future focuses on global security and governance reform, highlighting the need for transformative change. ICLEI, the first and largest network of over 2,500 local and regional governments, will be on the ground in New York City, advocating for multilevel governance and action at every level to meet this moment.
The theme for this year’s Climate Week NYC, “It’s Time,” aligns perfectly with the urgent need for a fossil-fuel phase-out and a rapid, just transition to sustainability for all. As we join leaders for Climate Week and the UN Summit of the Future, ICLEI will showcase how cities, towns, regions, and tribal nations are already leading on these critical issues. Our approach recognizes that the biggest challenges are interconnected, requiring integrated solutions to achieve long-term sustainability.
Note: This agenda is updated as of September 18, 2024, and times reflect ET.
ICLEI’s Global Subnational Leaders at Climate Week
- Katrin Jammeh, Mayor, Malmö, Sweden; ICLEI President (ICLEI Lead on 19-22 Sept)
- Minna Arve, Mayor Turku, Finland; ICLEI First Vice President (ICLEI Lead on 22-24 Sept)
- Mohamed Sefiani, Mayor, Chefchaouen, Morocco; ICLEI Vice President
- Marjorie Kauffmann, Secretary of State for Environment and Infrastructure, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; ICLEI Vice President
- Valerie Plante, Mayor, Montreal, Canada; Member, ICLEI GexCom Advisory Board; Member, UN Secretary General Advisory Board for Local and Regional Governments
- Sharon Dijksma, Mayor, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Member, UN Secretary General Advisory Board for Local and Regional Governments
- Ravi Bhalla, Mayor, Hoboken, USA; Member, ICLEI North America Regional Executive Committee
- Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Mayor of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and ICLEI GexCom Advisory Board
- Eckart Würzner, Mayor, Heidelberg, Germany
- Kumsil Kang, Climate Ambassador, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea
- Erion Veliaj, Mayor, Tirana, Albania
- Jeni Arndt, Mayor, Fort Collins, USA; ICLEI Global Executive Committee
- William Chan, Councillor, Sydney, Australia
- Ernest Arthur, Mayor, Cape Coast, Ghana; ICLEI Africa Regional Executive Committee
- Nicola Armacost, Hastings-On-Hudson, USA; ICLEI North America Regional Executive Committee
- Jorge Aldana, Mayor, Tegucigalpa, USA; ICLEI MECS Regional Executive Committee
- Irene Galindo, Deputy Mayor, Los Cabos, Mexico; ICLEI Global Executive Committee Member
- Patricio Maldonado, President, Asociación de Municipalidades Ecuatorianas
- Chilando Chitangala, Mayor, Lusaka, Zambia
- Mauricio Vila Dosal, Governor, Yucatan
- Sapiah Haron, Mayor, Hang Tuah Jaya City, Malaysia
- German Vladimir Chong Rios, Mayor, Province of Maynas, Peru; ICLEI South America Regional Executive Committee
- Dato’ Hj Baderul Amin bin Abdul Hamid, Mayor, Seberang Perai, Malaysia
ICLEI Staff at Climate Week
- Emani Kumar, Regional Director, ICLEI South Asia; ICLEI Deputy Secretary General
- Saharnaz Mirzazad, Executive Director, ICLEI USA
- Yunus Arikan, Director of Global Advocacy, ICLEI World Secretariat
- Bong-hee Son, Deputy Director, ICLEI Korea
- Aline Cardoso, Senior Advisor, ICLEI South America
- Kale Roberts, Deputy Director, ICLEI USA
- Bianca Cantoni, Institutional Relations and Advocacy Coordinator, ICLEI South America
- Madison Hodges, Program Associate, ICLEI USA
United Nations Agenda
UN Secretary General Advisory Board for Local and Regional Governments Meeting with UNSG
Mayors Binay, Dijskma and Plante attending in fulfillment of their role on the UNSG’s Advisory Board.
Date: 19 September
Time: 9:00 – 10:00 AM
Location: United Nations
World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments
Featuring participation from ICLEI staff and elected leaders.
Date: 19 September
Time: 10:15 AM – 6:00 PM
Location: United Nations
Host: Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments
Summit of the Future Action Days
ICLEI staff and elected leaders to participate, with a particular focus on the “A Sustainable Future for All” track on 21 September.
Date: 20 and 21 September
Location: United Nations
“Localizing the Pact for the Future”: Shaping local pathways for a more equitable, sustainable and secure future for all
A United Nations side event focused on the importance of localizing the commitments and actions stemming from the Pact for the Future.
Date: 20 and 21 September
Location: United Nations HQ CR3
Summit of the Future
Date: 22 September
Location: United Nations
COP29 Presidency Events
With participation from Mayor Minna Arve and LGMA Focal Point Yunus Arikan
Date: 23 September
Location: United Nations
New York Climate Week Agenda
Commission for SDG Urban Finance Meeting
ICLEI Secretary General Gino Van Begin and ICLEI Mayors Marvin Rees (Bristol, UK), Justin Bibb (Cleveland, USA), Daniella Levine-Cava (Miami-Dade County, USA) and Mohammed Sefiani (Chefchaouen, Morocco) in attendance in fulfillment of their seat on the Global Commission for SDG Urban Finance.
Date: 19 September
Time: 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Host: SDSN Global Commission for SDG Urban Finance Secretariat
UAE COP28 “CHAMP initiative” high-level breakfast
Private breakfast event for subnational leaders to strategize on how to leverage national governments’ CHAMP commitments to gain more support, with participation from ICLEI leaders.
Date: 23 September
Time: 08:00-09:30
Host: C40, Global Covenant of Mayors, Bloomberg Philanthropies
Financial Decision-Making to Enable the Green Transition: Moving Beyond Business as Usual
A roundtable discussion hosted by Business Sweden, featuring Saharnaz Mirzazad, with an exlusive invitation from the Sweden Climate Ambassador.
Date: 23 September
Time: 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Host: Business Sweden
Empowering People Living in Informality
A closed-door roundtable hosted by the UN Climate Champions Team event with a focus on informal housing in urban areas, featuring participation from ICLEI elected leaders.
Date: 23 September
Time: 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Host: UN Climate Change High-Level Champions Team
CHAMP High-Level Political Dialogue: Delivering Climate Action through National-Subnational Collaboration
A closed-door roundtable bringing together CHAMP endorsers and partners to discuss how national and subnational governments can jointly strengthen ambition and delivery of the upcoming Nationally Determined Contributions.
Date: 24 September
Time: 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Host: COP28 UAE Presidency, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and World Resources Institute
Aon’s Risk and Resilience Summit
A panel discussion dedicated to “Designing Smart, Sustainable Cities in the Face of Climate Change,” featuring Saharnaz Mirzazad.
Date: 25 September
Time: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: 32nd floor – One Liberty Plaza)
Host: Aon
Join us! Register today.
Let’s Make Housing its Own SDG: Rescuing Housing in the Post-2030 Agenda
A panel discussion dedicated to exploring innovative housing solutions, featuring Mayor Bhalla (Hoboken, NJ) and Secretary Kauffman (State of Rio Grande de Sul, Brazil).
Date: 25 September
Time: 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Location: Center for Architecture, Hines Gallery, 536 LaGuardia Place
Host: Build Change
Join us! Register today.
Subnational Climate Action Leaders’ Exchange (SCALE) Climate Week Action Dialogue
A dynamic dialogue on enhancing subnational climate action.
Date: 25 September
Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: The Nest at the Javits Center
Host: ICLEI, US Department of State and WWF America is All In
Join us! Register today.
Decarbonizing cities – addressing emissions from energy, transport, and industry
A roundtable panel discussion on decarbonizing the built environment, featuring experiences and strategies from global business leaders and ICLEI Global Advocacy Direct Yunus Arikan.
Date: 25 September
Time: 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Host: Business Sweden
Designing Smart, Sustainable Cities in the Face of Climate Change
A discussion exploring how leading cities are evolving their technology and construction to enable building decarbonization and a more resilient energy supply, featuring ICLEI USA’s Saharnaz Mirzazad.
Date: 25 September
Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Host: Johnson Controls
World Climate Summit
A day of dialogue with a special intervention from Saharnaz Mirzazad at 5pm.
Date: 25 September
Time: All day
Location: 849 6th Ave, New York, NY
Join us! Register today.
Just transition: shaping an inclusive future in the race to net zero
A panel discussion on the just transition in public and private climate strategies, featuring ICLEI USA’s Saharnaz Mirzazad.
Date: 26 September
Time: 8:30 AM – 11:00 AM
Location: Ernst & Young HQ, 401 9th Ave
Host: Ernst & Young
Join us! Register today.
New York City Mayors Reception
Date: 26 September
Time: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Host: Mayor Eric Adams, City of New York