ICLEI Europe was represented by Matthew Bach, Coordinator, Social Equity & Justice at the United Nations Habitat Assembly, which took place this month in ICLEI Member Nairobi (Kenya). Throughout the Assembly, ICLEI’s messages were clear: multi-level action has never been more important; urbanisation and climate resilience must be viewed as interlinked; and international frameworks like the Sustainable Development Goals and the EU Green Deal must be localised.

Ultimately, advocacy from key players including ICLEI was a success: UN-Habitat passed its first ever resolution on urbanisation and climate change, which highlights the SURGe Initiative, of which ICLEI is a core part.

The United Nations Habitat Assembly is UN-Habitat’s governance body, which convenes every four years. These Assemblies not only allow the 193 UN Member States to steer UN-Habitat by casting their votes, but also bring together debates and discussions on topics relevant to human settlements.

ICLEI was among the organisations shaping these crucial discussions. On the Assembly’s first day, for example, ICLEI, the Global Parliament of Mayors, and UN-Habitat co-hosted an official side event on “Responding to climate, nature, and pollution emergencies through urbanisation and multilevel action”. The session made clear that we are in the midst of numerous, interlinked emergencies that must be addressed in a holistic and thoughtful manner. As Prof. Dr. Oliver Weigel – Head of Division, International and European Urban Development Policy, German Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development, and Building – put it: “We have to think first, build later.”

ICLEI also facilitated a side event for the German Federal Ministries for Economic Cooperation and Development; for Housing, Urban Development and Building; and for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. The event focused on the role of buildings and materials in sustainable cities and featured German Ministry representatives alongside speakers representing ICLEI Member Fortaleza (Brazil), and the Rwandan Ministry of Housing.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, the Sustainable Urban Resilience for the Next Generation (SURGe) Initiative was a key component of the Assembly. ICLEI has worked together with UN-Habitat, the Egyptian COP27 Presidency, and other partners to successfully advance SURGe, which works to strengthen multilevel urban climate action. A SURGe Initiative Stakeholder Consultation on 6 June enabled ICLEI and UN-Habitat to take stock of SURGe progress, and to build further momentum with a view to upcoming United Nations climate negotiations at COP28 in December 2023.

For more information on the United Nations Habitat Assembly that took place this June 2023, visit: https://unhabitat.org/governance/un-habitat-assembly/second-session-2023.