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This panel explored how effective NDC implementation depends on empowering local governments. National climate plans require local capacity, resources, and strong multilevel cooperation. The discussion also reflected on the path toward COP30. Speakers: Niels Annen, State Secretary, German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Philip Yang, COP30 Urban Solutions Envoy André Godinho, Extraordinary Secretary for COP30, City of Belém, Brazil; COP30 Host City Moderator: Rodrigo Corradi, Deputy Director, ICLEI South America.

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This panel addressed the challenges to advancing multilevel action presented by increasingly nationalistic approaches to domestic policy in several influential countries. The panel featured the following speakers: Jane Lomax-Smith, Lord Mayor, City of Adelaide, Australia Kazuhisa Takeuchi, Mayor, City of Kitakyushu, Japan Steve Patterson, Mayor, City of Athens, United States; President, National League of Cities (video message) Gutemberg de Vilhena Silva, President Director, Director-President of the Amapá Research Foundation, Amapá State Government, Brazil Dorah Marema, Head Municipal Sustainability Portfolio, South African Local Government Association (SALGA) Moderator: Asif Nawaz Shah, Head of Impact and Global Partnerships, CHAMP, Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM).

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This opening panel introduced Daring Cities 2025, with a special emphasis on this year’s theme: “Stronger national climate plans through multilevel action.” Speakers: Katja Dörner, Mayor of Bonn, Germany; Member, ICLEI Global Executive Committee; Vice President, Association of German Cities (DST) Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven, Managing Director, GIZ Marjorie Kauffmann, State Secretary for Environment and Infrastructure, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Vice President, ICLEI Moderator: Kobie Brand, Regional Director, ICLEI Africa; Deputy Secretary General, ICLEI

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André Godinho, representing the host city of UNFCCC COP30, speaks about the Amazon not only as a forest but as a lived urban space, where over 70% of the population lives in cities like Belém, a metropolis of more than 1.5 million residents. He emphasizes that COP30 is taking place exactly where climate discussions should happen—within the Amazon—because the region holds the solutions to the challenges we all face.

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Cross-sector and cross-border collaboration is essential to driving the energy transition. Representing the private sector, Anna Hall highlights the pivotal role cities play as changemakers. She emphasizes that when cities and industries work together, they can form a powerful, unified voice. Cities are already implementing energy solutions, now the focus must be on fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange to accelerate progress.

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Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith reflects on the efforts local governments across Australia are undertaking to address the climate emergency, particularly within a framework of multilevel collaboration, where different levels of government align to successfully deliver on climate targets.

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Co-convened by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and the Federal City of Bonn, Daring Cities 2025 serves as a pivotal platform for local and regional governments to advance multilevel and collective climate action. Why does this sixth edition matter, and what lasting impact could it have on the road to COP30 and beyond? Hear from Katja Dörner, Mayor of Bonn and Chair of ICLEI’s Climate Action and Governance Portfolio, as she reflects on how Daring Cities connects local leadership to the UNFCCC’s Bonn Climate Talks, emphasizing that successful outcomes at COP30 depend on advocacy and multilevel action, starting at home.

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On 18 June, our full-day event, Insights for Multilevel Action, was held at the GIZ headquarters in Bonn, Germany. The event brought together 170 delegates from over 28 countries across all global regions to explore how multilevel action can strengthen national climate plans. Hear from Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven, Managing Director of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), as she reflects on how local governments can scale up actionable climate solutions through inclusive, multilevel collaboration.

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As a community-centered process, the Town Hall COP Initiative is redefining what multilevel climate action looks like, calling for the inclusion of a diverse range of voices, from local government representatives and civil society to the private sector, youth, and other actors who form the backbone of their communities.

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On 17 June, the high-level side event “Urban COP30 and beyond: Multilevel action and sustainable urbanization to deliver on the Paris Agreement” brought together national and local leaders to launch new guidelines and chart a shared path toward more ambitious, inclusive, and multilevel national climate plans.

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On 16 June, the first-ever Annual Review of Local and Subnational Action on the Rio Conventions marked a new space for local and subnational voices to reflect on and help shape the future of climate, biodiversity, and land governance.

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Join us online for our event “Insights for Multilevel Action,” spotlighting strategies to advance multilevel climate action. Plus, catch up with the latest updates at the SB62.

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The sixth edition of the Daring Cities Bonn Dialogues begins today and runs through 18 June, taking place alongside the UNFCCC Bonn Climate Change Conference (SB62). Co-convened by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and the Federal City of Bonn, Germany, this year’s event brings together worldwide local, regional, and national leaders, alongside key actors in the urban climate space to scale ambitious, inclusive, and multilevel climate action.

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From today until 18 June, the sixth edition of Daring Cities Bonn Dialogues brings together 150 participants, including over 50 local, regional, and national leaders from five continents, to accelerate bold, inclusive climate action.

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Wrapping up Cornerstone I “Reflect” of Daring Cities 2025, which oriented the discussion on past climate initiatives, the event now transitions into Cornerstone II “Exchange," which kicks off with the Daring Cities Bonn Dialogues, followed by the Daring Cities Virtual Forum, running from July to October. Explore what Daring Cities 2025 is bringing to the table.
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Daring Cities’ 2025 Cornerstone I – Reflect – brought together local leaders and climate representatives virtually to discuss how to build on past climate initiatives, especially those stemming from COP28 and COP29.

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In this video message presented at Daring Cities 2025, André Corrêa do Lago, COP30 President, reaffirms Brazil's commitment to integrating diverse stakeholders, emphasizing the role of mayors and subnational governments in shaping the COP30 agenda. Hear from Antonio Da Costa e Silva, Chief International Advisor at the Brazilian Ministry of Cities, and other leaders, as they refer to Brazil’s NDC 3.0, climate federalism, and the CHAMP initiative.

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Daring Cities 2024 brought local and regional leaders together to exchange solutions and strategies for tackling the climate emergency. Key findings emerged around multilevel governance, bottom-up approaches, and integrated solutions, showcased through real-life cases that inspire bold, transformative action.

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Flip through our gallery of photos from the Bonn Dialogues.

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On 5 June, the Local Governments and Municipal Authority (LGMA) Constituency convened a closed dialogue with Lola Vallejo and Dr. Amr Abdel-Aziz, Co-Chairs of the UNFCCC Sharm El Sheikh Mitigation Ambition and Implementation Work Programme, focusing on this year’s theme, “Cities: Buildings and Urban Systems.”

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Loss and Damage is a crucial concept in the global climate dialogue, addressing the adverse effects of climate change that cannot be avoided through mitigation and adaptation efforts. This blog delves into the latest discussions from Daring Cities 2024 Bonn Dialogues and the SB60 in Bonn, shedding light on the progress and challenges on Loss and Damage.

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On 5 June during the “Dialogue on multilevel partnerships for enhanced NDCs”, organized under the umbrella of Daring Cities 2024 Bonn Dialogues at the SB60 sessions, proposed a fruitful discussion on strengthening multilevel partnerships to enhance Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

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“The climate crisis is global. But the work to address it is global, national, regional and local” – Axel Schmidt Grael, Mayor of Niterói, Brazil and Chair of the ICLEI Climate Action Support Portfolio, during the CHAMP endorser roundtable on 4 June, under the umbrella of Daring Cities Bonn Dialogues 2024.

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The COP29 High-Level Climate Champion, alongside mayors, subnational leaders and other representatives, convened at the Daring Cities 2024 Bonn Dialogues to reflect on the much-needed multilevel climate action to achieve the Paris Agreement’s goals. The event highlighted the importance of vertical and horizontal collaboration on a global scale to tackle the climate emergency head-on.

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