Empowering local voices and partnerships to tackle the climate emergency: Lessons from the ICLEI World Congress

Innovative engagement events can foster meaningful dialogue and transform community needs into policy. ICLEI’s “Town Hall COP” initiative, piloted in 2023 as “local stocktakes” and continuing into 2024 and beyond, elevates the voices of those experiencing climate impacts on-the-ground by delivering city-level needs to global policy professionals.

As many jurisdictions in Australia’s most populous states (NSW and Victoria) gear for Council elections in September and October respectively, the direct relationship between local sustainability action, and the role of multi-level partnerships to drive advocacy, was clearly showcased at ICLEI’s World Congress by city representatives from all across the globe.

Making the case for the importance of multilevel partnerships was Councilor Amanda Stone, City of Yarra and Chair, ICLEI Oceania Regional Executive Committee. “There is a lot of power in broad coalitions of local government, and excitement is building about the Federal Government being a signatory to the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP). This will provide local governments with a door to enable them to work with the national government,” said Cr Stone in a panel on how cities are leading the way in ambitious, inclusive and integrated climate action. “The work being done on campaigns like Net Zero is really important, and ICLEI has a seat at that table.”

CHAMP , which has been signed by 72 countries, is an effort intended to enhance cooperation with subnational governments in financing, implementation and the monitoring of climate strategies. It includes the development of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and Long-Term Low-Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS), to maximise climate action efforts.

For many cities, though, the numerous layers of multilevel partnerships and climate jargon can be overwhelming and difficult to grasp, especially for non-expert audiences. As communities craft engagement events, local governments like the City of Baltimore, USA, shared their tips on effective climate communication.  The City of Baltimore launched a community survey to inform their newly updated climate action plan, but did not use the term “climate change” once in the survey, instead opting for more precise questions about how individuals pay their energy bills, use public transit, and manage extreme weather conditions.

Pictured: Cr Amanda Stone, City of Yarra and Chair of the ICLEI Oceania RexCoM, addressing the ICLEI World Congress on the importance of multilevel partnerships for effective climate action.

The case for Town Hall COPs

A Town Hall COP is an engagement event in which elected officials and a diverse collection of community members compare local climate policies with their country’s NDCs. While this may seem like a daunting agenda for one event, there are benefits to discussing Paris Agreement documents with community members.

Local best practices are informed by global policy. Over 2 200 local governments have adopted Science Based Targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While community members may be aware of an emissions reduction target, they may not know that the goal is aligned with Paris Agreement targets. Making this connection can instill a sense of agency in the community towards the climate crisis, minimising climate despair.

As an example, Baguio City, Philippines, invited local youth activists to collaborate with municipal staff at their Town Hall COP. This youth involvement inspired the City to establish youth positions in decision-making councils and boards across the City.

ICLEI Oceania welcomes the opportunity to share more case studies on successful climate and sustainability engagement from its global network of 2 500 cities and regions. For more on this, contact us at oceania@iclei.org.