Daring Cities aims to accelerate responses to the climate emergency by building on the momentum and experiences gained over the past year. The forum is conceived as a platform to inform local, subnational, and national efforts, as well as global processes by strengthening partnerships, building capacity, and enhancing knowledge exchange. The outcomes of these exchanges were disseminated to further crucial gatherings and events throughout Urban October 2022, before feeding into advocacy efforts at UNFCCC COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh in November 2022.
The trajectory of Daring Cities is structured around three main cornerstones:
Over five days, high level participants and technical experts spoke on engaging and relevant climate-related topics. This included diverse, global perspectives from compelling urban leaders who have implemented bold climate action in their cities, towns and regions as a response to the climate crisis. We offered a variety of sessions across all time zones, as well as a diverse array of engagement and networking options.
Each October, those interested in sustainable urbanization from national and local governments to universities, NGOs and communities are encouraged to hold or participate in a multitude of activities around the globe as a part of Urban October. It is an opportunity for everyone to be part of the conversation about the challenges and opportunities created by the fast rate of change in our cities and towns and thus offers a rich agenda in the urban sustainability space.
In 2022, the month began with World Habitat Day on 3 October 2022 (the first day of Daring Cities 2022), with a theme of Mind the Gap. Leave No One and Place Behind. Urban October ended with World Cities Day on 31 October 2022 with the theme of Act Local to Go Global.
Urban October is a chance to bring the Daring Cities message to the world stage. From the Innovate4Cities conference to the G20, we are developing opportunities to connect the outcomes of Daring Cities to the rest of the world.
ICLEI has successfully acted as the focal point of the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) constituency since the first UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP) in 1995, including overseeing the coordination of drafting inputs to the negotiations, mobilization of delegations and bridging the dialogue between the UNFCCC Secretariat and cities and regions. Thus we acted in concert with Urban Leaders to advocate the Daring Cities message at UNFCCC COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.