Since 2009, international climate leaders – spanning government, finance, technology, academia, and NGOs – have converged in New York City during the United Nations’ General Assembly meetings to tell the world “climate change is the defining challenge of our times.” ICLEI, as the backbone organization of the climate movement for local government, brings a global delegation of mayors, councilmembers, county electeds, and Tribal leaders to take part in the week’s events.
From September 20 to 27, 2026, we will support the ICLEI Delegation of more than 15 mayors and local leaders from the United States, Brazil, Kenya, the Philippines, Albania, and Mexico, who will be in NYC shaping the path toward COP31 in Turkiye – and driving the transition to a faster, fairer climate future in their own cities and regions.
ICLEI Delegation at Climate Week NYC 2026
European Region
- Anuela Ristani, Acting Mayor, City of Tirana, Albania
- Enio Minxhozi, Director of Foreign Affairs Department, City of Tirana, Albania
South America Region
- Eduardo Leite, Governor of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- Daniela Lara, Climate Coordinator, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- Camila Assis, General Coordinator of International Relations, São Paulo, Brazil
North America Region
- Ravi Bhalla, Assemblyperson, State of New Jersey and former Mayor, Hoboken, NJ (ICLEI USA Board Chair)
- Brigid Shea, Commissioner, Travis County, Texas (ICLEI USA Board Vice Chair)
- Todd Gloria, Mayor, City of San Diego, California
- Steve Patterson, Mayor, City of Athens, Ohio
- Patricia Lock Dawson, Mayor, City of Riverside, California (ICLEI USA Board Member)
- Daniel Rickenmann, City of Columbia, South Carolina
- Lauren McLean, City of Boise, Idaho
- Aaron Ordower, Environmental Deputy, Office of Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, Los Angeles County, California
- Rita Kampalath, Chief Sustainability Officer, Los Angeles County Chief
Southeast Asia Region
- Mayor Alfredo Coro, Del Carmen, Siargao, Philippines, and GExCom, Biodiversity, Health and Water
Mexico, Central America, and Caribbean Region
- [TBC] Representative from the State of Yucatan, Mexico
ICLEI Staff
- Kale Roberts, ICLEI USA Director of Local Diplomacy
- Kristi Kimball, ICLEI USA Senior Advisor for Fundraising
- David Lubell, ICLEI USA, Senior Advisor on Climate Mobility
- Marisa Kellogg, ICLEI USA, Senior Program Officer
- Bianca Cantoni, ICLEI South America Secretariat Institutional and Advocacy Coordinator
AGENDA AT Climate Week NYC 2026
Saturday and Sunday, 19-20 September, 2026
Urban20 Mayors Summit
Hosts: C40, City of Los Angeles, New York City
Monday, 21 September, 2026
11:00 AM – 1:30 PM
ICLEI USA Event: “Urban planning for a changing climate”
Location: The Penn Club of New York | 30 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036
Hosts: ICF, ICLEI USA, and National League of Cities
Description: Cities across the United States are working to develop equitable, sustainable, and cost-effective strategies to move people and critical infrastructure out of harm’s way. This challenge is only going to grow greater as extreme weather events and climate impacts become more frequent and intense over the coming decades. Hear from municipal leaders who will discuss the programs and land use policies they’ve used to move people and infrastructure away from areas at greatest risk. We’ll then facilitate an open roundtable discussion on the challenges communities have faced as they work to develop, fund, and implement these programs.
REGISTER HERE
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
2026 California Climate Leadership Forum
Host: The Climate Registry
Description: Hosted by The Climate Registry (TCR), this dynamic event will feature engaging conversations, interviews, and keynote speakers addressing the opportunities and challenges of advancing California’s ambitious climate and affordability goals. Building on the momentum of previous forums, this year’s event continues to advance a forward-looking vision for climate action—one that integrates decarbonization with economic growth, equity, and community resilience.
Invitation only. Express your interest.
1:40 PM – 5:20 PM
Climate Week NYC The Hub Live “Opening Ceremony”
Tuesday, 22 September, 2026
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
“An Inconvenient Truth: Then and Now”: A conversation with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore
Host: Climate Reality Project
Description: A dynamic discussion about two decades of policy and progress inspired by the film, the challenges ahead, and the road forward at a critical time in the fight to avert the climate crisis.
Invitation only. Contact ICLEI USA.
8:30 AM – 12:00 PM
America Is All In’s Local to Global Exchange
Location: Convene New York
Host: America Is All In in partnership with Climate Mayors and U.S. Climate Alliance
Description: The Local to Global Exchange is an invite-only convening that will connect local climate action to global progress across three key themes: resilience, energy, and cross-sector collaboration. Local, state, and global leaders will highlight how they’re working together to deploy ambitious climate solutions that create tangible community benefits – from lowering energy costs to reducing air pollution.
Invitation only. Contact ICLEI USA
11:30 AM – 6:00 PM EDT
InnSure Climate Finance & Risk Management Forum
Location: 787 Seventh Avenue, 31st Floor, New York
Hosts: InnSure, GreenieRE, Holland & Knight, RMI and Environmental Defense Fund
Description: InnSure’s 5th Climate Forum is a special one – bringing collaborative partners (GreenieRE, EDF, and RMI) together to host our growing ecosystem of insurers and reinsurers, climate-tech founders, investors, sustainability leaders, and policymakers for a day of panels, innovator pitches, and working roundtables focused on accelerating decarbonization and climate-resilient innovation. The day will also feature the winner announcement for InnSure’s Decarbonization Risk Management Innovation Prize.
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM – ICLEI USA Event: “The Cities and Counties Getting Ahead of Climate Migration”
An inside look at the first places preparing to receive America’s climate movers.
Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Location: Midtown Manhattan, New York, NY (exact address shared upon RSVP)
Sponsored by: ICLEI USA and Unbound Philanthropy
Description: Climate change is already reshaping where Americans live — and a handful of places are responding first. In communities such as Cincinnati, OH and Washtenaw County, MI, leaders are building the country’s first plans to welcome and support climate movers, while simultaneously increasing support to those already in their communities. Join some of the key people leading this work for a candid conversation about what they’re doing, what they’re learning, and what every city and county will eventually have to figure out. The first movers are in the room. Come meet them.
REGISTER HERE
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
NRDC Resilience Roundtable: “Community Voices Create a Shared Path for Disaster Resilience”
Invitation only
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
USGBC Event:“From Climate Risk to Resilient Communities
Location: One Penn Plaza, 24th Floor, Suite 2400. New York, NY 10119
Hosts: USGBC & Jacobs
Description: This invite-only event will focus on city-wide resilience, including a discussion of the new resilience emphasis within LEED v5. The program will also bring together leaders from cities across the United States (including mayors) to explore strategies for mitigating climate-related systemic risks, empowering frontline communities, and mobilizing funding to advance resilience initiatives. Panelists will share their successes, challenges, and lessons learned in implementing sustainability and resilience strategies, as well as discuss how these approaches can be applied in New York City and beyond.
Wednesday, 23 September, 2026
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Climate Mayors Annual Mayors Forum
Location: Roosevelt House at Hunter College
Host: Climate Mayors
Partners: NY Climate Exchange
Audience: 30 mayors from around the country
Description: The Climate Mayors Leadership Forum will bring together mayors, partners, and funders across our network to exchange ideas and accelerate climate action alongside New York Climate Week. Serving as the premier event for mayors at NY Climate Week, the 2025 forum was our largest yet, drawing 120 partners and 30 mayors for panels, keynotes, and conversations that sparked new connections and momentum. Building on that success, the 2026 Climate Mayors Leadership Forum will feature impactful keynotes and mayor-led panels, with ample time for networking. This event will give mayors access to an even broader landscape of partners and opportunities at the Forum and throughout the week.
Invitation Only
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
ICLEI & Princeton University Event: “Urban Nexus Lab Cities-and-Science Dialogue”
Hosts: ICLEI USA + Princeton University
Location: Consulate General of India, New York
Description: This dialogue seeks to connect urban policymakers, practitioners, and scientists to share and discuss innovations for advancing Circular Economy, Heat Resilience, and Low-Carbon Transitions in US and Global Cities
Invitation Only. Contact ICLEI USA.
1:30 PM – 5:30 PM ICLEI USA & Duke University Event: “From Billions to Trillions: Financing Local Resilience at Scale”
Location: Nest Campus
Host: ICLEI USA + Duke University
Description: “From Billions to Trillions: Financing Local Resilience at Scale” will explore how communities can move beyond isolated transactions toward a repeatable system for financing resilience projects at the local level. Building on the Resilience Finance Guide for Local Governments, the session will examine how community resilience priorities can be translated into finance-ready projects. In a conversation facilitated by Victoria Salinas, Duke University Climate Leader in residence and ICLEI USA Board Member, experts from local government, academia, philanthropy, public finance, insurance, and private investment will consider how to address future and systemic risks, value resilience benefits, align institutional authorities, and match capital sources to the roles they can best play. The discussion aims to identify project-pipeline bottlenecks, clarify sector-specific responsibilities, and surface partnerships and projects that can help scale equitable resilience investment. The discussion will be hosted by Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability and ICLEI USA on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at the Nest Campus at the Javitz Center. It will be part of a half-day event focused on catalyzing local action on resilience by removing barriers, mobilizing capital, and building local capacity.”
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Bloomberg Philanthropies Reception
Invitation only.
Thursday, 24 September, 2026
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Cities Against the Clock: Closing the Gap to 2030
Co-hosts: TyLin and the NYC Economic Development Corporation
Description: With four years left to 2030, cities have become the most consequential — and most underestimated — front in the fight to close the global climate gap. Recent analysis shows that if city climate commitments are fully met, they could close the gap to the 1.5°C goal by as much as 37%, a bigger single lever than most national governments can pull alone. Yet, the same evidence shows most cities are only partially delivering on their own targets, with just 7% of existing city climate plans currently aligned to a 1.5°C pathway. The pressure to act is no longer theoretical. Extreme heat and flooding now account for the majority of high-risk hazards cities report, making climate adaptation as urgent and operational as mitigation. At the same time, real opportunity is emerging: cities that have already proven what works are becoming the template for others, turning individual wins into a repeatable playbook the rest of the field can move faster by following. The question left standing is less about whether solutions exist and more about why they aren’t spreading fast enough. This panel brings together city officials to move past the ambition-versus-reality gap and ask the sharper question: what does it take for a city to convert a climate pledge into a climate result — and where is that already happening?
Invitation only. Contact ICLEI USA.