A large delegation of ICLEI leaders under the leadership of ICLEI President Katrin Jammeh, Mayor of Malmö, Sweden is heading for the Summit of the Future (SoF), kicking off on 22 September at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York. The Summit is an initiative of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (pictured above; photo credit Kiara Worth / UNFCCC) to improve the UN system and strengthen multilateralism. The high-level event brings world leaders together to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and safeguard the future and should result in several agreed-upon outcomes, including a Pact for the Future, a Global Digitalization Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations.  

In October 2023, the UN Secretary-General launched the Advisory Group on Local and Regional Governments (AGLRG), emphasizing the need for local and regional perspectives to enhance multilateral institutions and tackle global challenges. More than a dozen ICLEI Member delegates from local and regional governments are now traveling to New York to participate in the Summit and Climate Week NYC, including also ICLEI Europe Vice-President, Minna Arve, Mayor of Turku, Finland. 

“Leaders from cities, towns and regions in the ICLEI Network are at the Summit of the Future to demonstrate their commitment to meaningful, transparent global cooperation. International collaboration is more vital than ever for our survival, and without it we will not meet our sustainability goals or be able to adequately respond to emerging challenges and opportunities. Our network’s members have demonstrated that they are deeply committed to advancing global sustainability through multilateral collaboration and alignment” says ICLEI President, Mayor Jammeh of Malmö. 

You can follow the ICLEI delegation and developments at the Summit of the Future and Climate Week NYC with ICLEI USA.

For more information about why the UN is orgainising the summit, its expected agenda and outcomes, and how ICLEI and local and regional governments are engaging in the process, read the full article by ICLEI’s Ariel Dekovic in the ICLEI City Talk Blog here.