In March, the expanded ICLEI Oceania team, including ICLEI Deputy Secretary General, Ms Kobie Brand, had the pleasure of hosting a number of representatives from its Australian partners, with the aim of sharing information and exploring synergies. These partners included Better Futures Australia (BFA), an active alliance of peak body climate advocacy groups, Climateworks Centre (Monash University), and the Melbourne Centre for Cities (University of Melbourne).

Kobie showcased plans well underway to revitalise and strengthen ICLEI Oceania in the region, highlighting the arrival of two new fulltime senior officers, Luigi Zarro and Cara Horner, as well as a number of interim staff such as an interim Director of Communications and an interim Financial Manager. Coinciding with the successful election of the new RexCom, the growth of the ICLEI Oceania team is an investment by the organisation in this region where there is scope to significantly increase city and regional leadership and action for sustainability.  

This influx of new skills, personnel and energy will support ICLEI’s mandate to drive change along its five interconnected development pathways and facilitate ICLEI’s focus on supporting local councils with their sustainability journeys, including their climate, energy and nature transitions. 

Central to sharing ICLEI’s latest climate change adaptation support was the overview offered by Kobie on the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP). Australia’s Federal Government, as one of 72 countries (at that point in time) that signed the pledge, endorses multilevel cooperation and the urban agenda amongst local councils to strengthen Australia’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) ahead of COP 30. CHAMP supports decades of climate advocacy by the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities Constituency (LGMA) which is the voice of cities and regions in the climate negotiation process - and locally by the BFA alliance partners - for multilevel climate action for planning, financing and implementation of local climate strategies and actions.