The article Why should my Mayor attend global sustainability events? explains the concept of subnational diplomacy through a fictional conversation between a mayor and a concerned resident. It has been authored by Madison Hodges and published by ICLEI on November 2024.
The article addresses key points such as:
- The growing participation of local and regional government leaders in international environmental conferences like the Climate COPs and ICLEI World Congress.
- The value of in-person meetings for securing resources, learning about innovative solutions, and connecting with climate funds, private sector partners, and other cities.
- The importance of subnational diplomacy, with cities advocating for greater recognition and funding from global financial institutions.
- The trend of cities establishing focused partnerships beyond sister cities, leading to more impactful and sustainable initiatives.
In recent years, more and more local and regional government leaders are traveling to international environmental conferences, like the annual Climate COPs or the ICLEI World Congress. These meetings provide the opportunity to discuss solutions to global and local challenges. But at the same time, the concrete value of elected leaders’ engagement can at times be difficult to grasp. What is the value for such in-person meetings? How does the community back home benefit?
Learn more in the article: https://talkofthecities.iclei.org/why-should-my-mayor-attend-global-sustainability-events/