ICLEI

What does it take to bring a project to life on the ground? Lehtem Buma Carine, climate change, energy & resilience specialist at ICLEI Africa, provides a firsthand perspective from Kisenyi, an informal settlement in Kampala. There, she co-led workshops and engaged with the community on clean cooking solutions. Carine's work is part of the Enabling African Cities for Transformative Energy Access - ENACT project, implemented by #ICLEIAfrica with support from Mercy Corps and Energy 4 Impact. This initiative aims to provide safe, clean, and affordable #CleanCooking and #EnergyAccess to urban informal settlements in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and Kampala, Uganda. 🌍 🔥🍳 Reliance on traditional biomass fuels for meal preparation exposes users, particularly women and children, to toxic pollutant levels. By improving access to clean cooking solutions, the #ENACT project addresses health issues, gender disparities, and climate impacts simultaneously. How does it all come together? Check out the post below to delve into Carine's on-the-ground insights on the crucial role of implementing clean cooking solutions in urban informal settlements. ⬇️

🌎 Celebrating Earth Week's theme, "Invest in our Planet," we highlight impactful food purchase initiatives from #ICLEI Members New York City and Copenhagen. These cities share a common goal: Healthier, more environmentally friendly meals with no increased operating budgets: 🛒 🥦 New York City, USA: The Good Food Purchasing Program:  Through the Mayor's Office of Food Policy (MOFP), this program annually publishes data on the food the city is buying and serving in schools, hospitals, shelters and detention facilities, among others. It ensures that the city's food purchases align with transparency, nutrition, sustainability, local economies, animal welfare, and a valued workforce. The program supports agencies in sourcing minimally processed, plant-rich foods and increasing purchases from local vendors, particularly minority- and women-led businesses. With these actions, NYC is on track to meet its commitment to reducing the carbon emissions of food-related purchases by 33% by 2030. 👩🌾 🍓 Copenhagen, Denmark: Organic Food Strategy  Aligned with the country's Green Procurement Strategy, which mandates 60% organic food in public kitchens, Copenhagen's Food Strategy targets 90% organic food procurement and a 25% reduction in meal-related carbon footprint by 2025. With an 85% organic purchasing rate, the city serves over 70,000 meals daily in over 1,000 public institutions—childcare centers, schools and care homes—progressing steadily towards its sustainability goals. These initiatives demonstrate that sustainable food procurement drives change across sectors, leading to a healthier and eco-conscious food system. To follow their lead, read the full story here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eeUEwYnh ICLEI USA ICLEI Europe #EarthDay #FoodProcurement #FoodSystem 

"We believe local action moves the world," says Emani Kumar, Regional Director of ICLEI South Asia Secretariat and ICLEI Deputy Secretary General. His timely words resonate as we celebrate ICLEI South Asia's 19 years today! 🌏 🎉 Founded on 25 April 2005, ICLEI South Asia has woven a network comprising over 100 local and regional governments, with a current membership of around 60 cities spanning Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. With its headquarters in New Delhi, India, ICLEI South Asia has expanded to include several country, state and project offices across the region. It also actively collaborates with neighboring regions to strengthen partnerships and initiatives, particularly ICLEI Southeast Asia Secretariat and ICLEI East Asia Secretariat. 🤝 Since our founding in 1990, #ICLEI has grown into a global network of more than 2500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development, with eight regional secretariats spanning +125 countries. 🌐 We celebrate ICLEI South Asia Secretariat's dedicated efforts in these almost two decades driving regional sustainable urban change. 👏 🌿 Read the post below to find out more ⬇️

“Daring Cities has grown into a pivotal platform for local and regional government leaders who are spearheading concrete action and multilevel collaboration. We are actively shaping the future of our cities, towns, and regions for 2030 and beyond. Together, we are daring to make a difference.” Katja Dörner, Mayor of Bonn, Germany, and #ICLEI Global Executive Committee Member, invites urban leaders, researchers and implementers, first-timers or long-time members of the Daring Cities community to join this fifth edition of #DaringCities. 🎉👏 Under the theme “Powering collective action to respond to the #ClimateEmergency,” Daring Cities 2024, co-convened by #ICLEI and Bundesstadt Bonn, aims to serve as a pivotal platform for advancing multilevel and collective #ClimateAction through a holistic and integrated approach. The event’s agenda is power-packed with dialogues, workshops, and high-level roundtables throughout the year, all aimed at promoting leadership, knowledge exchange, and the implementation of ambitious climate strategies. Next up: “Connecting the dots: Multilevel action from #DaringCities to COP29 and COP30”, a webinar focusing on how cities and regions can build on the COP28 UAE outcomes. Get insights on the CHAMP initiative and why its implementation is critical to tackling the Climate Emergency as we move toward the upcoming COPs. On 30 April, at 16:00 CEST.  Register 🔗 https://lnkd.in/drbNgWNi

“Celebrating Earth Day” - Dive into the April issue of ICLEI's iNews, our global newsletter.  👉 https://lnkd.in/eHUcH9ws Under the theme "Planet vs Plastic," we celebrate International Earth Day by reflecting on the pivotal role of local communities in tackling global pollution. We also launched the Local and Subnational Governments Coalition to End Plastic Pollution, urging a united front across governments to #BeatPlasticPollution head-on. Read the Coalition’s Statement and sign up for it: https://lnkd.in/eFEnjBYd And the positive news continues: Explore how cities and regions worldwide are taking care of our Planet, from embracing circular and sustainable approaches to rehabilitate ecosystems, tackling open waste burning and much more! Remember to subscribe to iNews to stay tuned ➡ https://lnkd.in/deipWxPX 🌎💚 #EarthDay #INC4 #CircularSolutions #PlasticPollution

🌍🌟Launched today: Local and Subnational Governments Coalition to End Plastic Pollution! #ICLEI, the Governments of #Catalonia and of #Québec, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and Partners proudly announce the formation of this vital international coalition. Our mission is clear: Halt plastic pollution and highlight the integral role local and subnational governments play in the plastic treaty instrument. Our goals are to unite local and subnational governments worldwide in advocating for a legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution; ensure their pivotal role is recognized in the instrument's development; and promote awareness among Member States about their critical contributions. 🌐 This coalition represents a united front of local authorities and partners worldwide, all committed to environmental stewardship and sustainable development. 🤝 Join us in this crucial movement! Cities and local governments are invited to amplify our mission by adding their voice to the coalition. Sign up and stand with us in this global call to action for a cleaner, greener future. https://lnkd.in/eFEnjBYd Read the full media release here: https://lnkd.in/gzafPkxD #PlasticsTreaty #INC4 #EndPlasticPollution #BeatPlasticPollution WWF C40 Cities UN Environment Programme Global Cities Hub UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme) Regions4

Did you know that we now produce and consume 430 million tonnes of plastic each year, two-thirds of which are short-lived products that soon become waste? Join the UN Environment Programme's call to #BeatPlasticPollution! Here's how you can help ahead of the globally binding #PlasticTreaty: ♻️ Change your behavior: Opt for reusing instead of buying new products, and always choose reusable options. 🏛️ Know your government's position: Visit the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC) website to learn where your nation stands. https://lnkd.in/g5He7ZKG 📢 Advocate for change: Encourage legislators to reduce single-use plastic, promote #reuse and #recycling, and prevent plastic from entering the environment. 🧋Demand better from brands: Visit restaurants and cafes that allow reusable containers and back businesses minimizing single-use plastics. 🚮 Engage locally: Volunteer for litter clean-ups, collaborate with neighbors to recycle reusable plastics, or better yet, reuse them yourself. 💡 Back innovators: Spread the word about start-ups tackling #PlasticPollution and support them on social media. Watch the video below and discover why the once-plastic fairy tale has lost its "happily ever after" ending 👇

Join us for our next monthly #LGMA webinar on 24 April to discuss inspiring topics of the global climate and sustainability agenda! 🌿   Register here for 10:00 CEST ▶️ https://lnkd.in/e2fXr-Bz Register here for 17:00 CEST ▶️ https://lnkd.in/eqf4kyah   yunus Arikan, ICLEI’s Director of Global Advocacy and LGMA focal point, will share valuable insights and important updates to support local and subnational governments engage in advocacy events throughout the year as well as for the upcoming #COP29 🔊   The LGMA offers these webinars every month, make sure you save the dates on your calendar: https://lnkd.in/dem5n6BX Moreover, you can opt for the LGMA’s monthly bulletin, which complements the webinars. Subscribe here to start receiving the LGMA Bulletin ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eb8_f4jD

“TAP’s support doesn’t conclude until it is no longer needed,” says Dr. Eszter Reka Mogyorosy, #ICLEI’s Head of Innovative Finance, at the UrbanShift Latin America Forum in Belém, Brazil. The Transformative Action Program (TAP) is a one-stop interface for subnational governments and local businesses to submit their sustainable infrastructure projects. These projects are mobilized through annual calls and screened by finance and sector-specific experts. Those with great potential for transformative impact can receive personalized feedback and be connected to the various Project Preparation Facilities backing TAP that will support their development and implementation. “It’s very difficult to transform ideas into projects, and that is the focus of TAP. We help shape projects at the very early stages until they interest development banks and financiers,” Dr. Mogyorósy continues. #TAP is part of the finance offer for #UrbanShift. At the forum in Belém, Dr. Mogyorósy explains that, out of the 70 programs and 1.5€ billion investment potential in the TAP pipeline, one-third is in Latin America and the Caribbean. “In this region, projects are high quality and larger scale, 70% of which are on adaptation or resilience,” she concludes. More about UrbanShift: https://lnkd.in/emWjRZzp  More about TAP: https://tap-potential.org/ #ClimateFinance #sustainability #GreenProjects #finance Prefeitura Municipal de Belém

🌎 Despite the UNFCCC's announcement canceling this year's Latin America and Caribbean Climate Week due to funding issues, cities across Latin America are not slowing down. In a robust display of proactive leadership, Belém, Brazil, stands out as a vibrant hub for regional climate action. 🌿 As the future host of the climate COP30 in 2025, Belém is spotlighting the unique perspectives and challenges of fast developing nations like Brazil and emphasizing the critical role cities play in global climate discussions. This month, Belém is bustling with strategic gatherings, including an unprecedented line-up of #ICLEI key regional meetings, the newly established Amazon Cities Forum, and the UrbanShift Latin America Forum, all aimed at enhancing urban sustainability and climate resilience across the region. 🔗 These initiatives are more than regional dialogues; they are a testament to the power of collective action and the importance of including city voices in international climate frameworks. As Belém leads these discussions, the city not only shapes national policy but also contributes significantly to global sustainability efforts, ensuring that local actions resonate worldwide. 💬 Join the conversation and support these vital efforts as we push for a more inclusive and effective approach to global climate challenges. Read more: https://lnkd.in/etcn3jwh #ClimateAction #Sustainability #Belém #LatinAmerica #UrbanShift #ICLEI #COP30 #ClimateResilience Prefeitura Municipal de Belém