The objective of the Forum is to create a regional platform of municipal governments, specifically through its Planning or Development Secretaries, to promote the exchange of knowledge, practices and models of sustainable development between Amazonian subnational governments and the subsequent dissemination of experiences at regional level. The network acts as a cooperation mechanism to position Amazonian cities as global references for sustainable urban development in a context of tropical forests, in which managers collaborate mutually in the implementation of monitoring measures and efforts to reach the SDGs. ICLEI is responsible for (i) the identification of potential cities for involvement with the network in the first year, (ii) the definition and implementation of connection and exchange mechanisms for the group, for permanent dialogue and mobilization with members, and for (iii) regional meetings to build an agenda for cooperation between local governments, the active exchange of experiences and the position of cities as drivers of sustainable urban development.

Promoting the project and its results among multiple beneficiaries is an important goal of the project. ICLEI therefor develops, implements, and monitors a detailed strategy for communication, dissemination, and exploitation. ICLEI will thereby safeguard the implementation and replication of developed solutions beyond the project’s lifetime. ICLEI will further develop a typology of city types that recognises different contexts.

ICLEI is responsible for the sharing, dissemination and valorisation of knowledge and experiences produced within the project. By this ICLEI ensures that the knowledge, experiences and results produced are not only well documented and widely shared but also relevant for local communities and policy-makers in Europe. ICLEI synthesizes results and produces key project deliverables combining established dissemination tools with more innovative, participatory activities. In detail ICLEI:
– disseminates and valorises the knowledge and experiences produced within the project
– synthesises and communicates project results in formats that underline their relevance for local communities and policy-makers in Europe
– advances self-reflective learning and stimulates public debates on social innovation through transition initiatives
– informs future implementation frameworks for sustainability and low-carbon policies on the local, national and EU level

ICLEI is part of the cities group in charge of mapping out all related methodologies to – 1.5° C pathway; this includes the revision of Kaya Methodology for Carbon Stock allocation as well as other city related methodologies related to GHG emissions reduction SBT. A final report has been compiled which includes other organizations as part of the group such as C40,WRI, CDP, GCoM & WWF.

ICLEI staff reviewed one of the assigned methodologies and provided comments in regards of the following principles:

– The methodology should be up to date relative to latest science
– The methodology should be equitable
– The methodology should address all GHG´s and GHG´s sources (Completeness)
– The methodology should be user friendly

The outcome will be a recommendation to unify all crosscutting criteria into a holistic global set of recommendations which would be applicable to all sizes and types of cities. This also includes a landscape of methods and tools from specific hubs (Land; Ocean; Water; Biodiversity) related to cities.

ICLEI was responsible on international policy processes. Through desk research, interviews and direct participation, ICLEI identified relevant political dynamics and processes regarding the rural-urban nexus in the context of HABITAT III (preparation and implementation) and the implementation of the SDGs. The aim is to identify ways through which the German federal government, and especially the Ministry for Environment and Building, can influence these processes in order to foster a global sustainable rural-urban nexus.
Part of the problem is that there is a limited understanding of the interconnections and hence development potential between urban and peri-urban areas due to an insufficient data base and lack of suitable indicators. That's why ICLEI collected fitting indicators out of a pool of (inter)national indicator sets and – in a second step – developed relevant indicators where needed. The indicators developed in the RUN project can serve as a starting point to better un-derstand these linkages and identify the most relevant data needed.

The Forum diverse and engaging activities included the involvement of numerous organizations, institutions and academia; including the ICLEI Kaohsiung Capacity Center as one of organizers.

The implementation of corporate sustainability initiatives is the main activities that are now expected from the international business community, not only for their own sustainable thrive but for the world’s common interests. To bridge the gap and open the dialogue between public and private sectors on sustainability in Asian region, ICLEI KCC will host a parallel session on Cities Initiatives during the opening day of Global Corporate Sustainability Forum, in cooperation with the Organizer, Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TAISE), ICLEI Member Cities in Taiwan and other local partners.

3 of ALP Steering Committee Members from the Philippines, Mongolia(Ulaanbaatar) are invited to speak at the Forum and joined ALP-member track, including official calls on national authorities related to energy regulations and policies, technical visits to e-mobility in postal services, smart energy communities in New Taipei City and circular economic development in Taoyuan City.

ICLEI builds four Heritage Innovation Partnerships (HIPs). Each convened by a local partner and involving stakeholders from a range of organisations, including conservation organisations, community groups, local businesses engaged working alongside the research teams. The HIPs provide input into the development, analysis and outputs of the project.
ICLEI further produces a final report on the value added and use of HIPs to advance the adaptive reuse of cultural heritage.
In addition, ICLEI leads the Peer-Review Process among the four partnerships for overcoming existing problems, by building an understanding of the issues, situations and challenges and exploring new ideas, options and solutions. To enhance knowledge exchange between partnerships, city visits are set up. The fvisits aim to facilitate the transfer knowledge especially for what concerns decision making, implementation, governance, business models and advance the exploration of adaptive re-use of cultural heritage.
Finally ICLEI will be responsible for the overall coordination of all implementation and review activities and takes a role as ‘external coach’ for each implementing partnership.

ICLEI leads the dissemination and communication. In this context a plan is delivered responding to the particularities of the rural areas, that are often “hard to reach” and both physically and technologically remote. The team engages with national and local independent production companies for television and radio broadcasts as internet use may not be available or widespread in all rural communities.
Furthermore, ICLEI supports local partners in developing their local plans through capacity building, including one local communication workshop and one local communication webinar to provide additional training.
ICLEI, together with UNESCO, enhances the link between RURITAGE and a wider community of interested parties at global level based in the mandate of sustainable development and performed by their networks. More precisely, ICLEI supports the cooperation with the countries covered by the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) by identifying key conferences and events where the RURITAGE Replication Tool Box can be disseminated.
Finally, ICLEI hosts a Dialogue Breakfast with European policy-makers in Brussels using the ICLEI Breakfast@Sustainability series.

ICLEI leads the general dissemination effort of OpenHeritage, with a particular focus on reaching out to local authorities all over Europe, leveraging its vast municipality network with the policy and academia connections of the consortium as a whole.
ICLEI also contributes to the Observatory Cases, and to the Cooperative Heritage Labs, collecting and synthesizing information.

Over a period of nine months, ICLEI led a cohort of communities through modules and one on one technical support to improve local government operations. Modules included an introduction to GHG inventory protocols for local government operations, sustainable public procurement, fleet management, building energy retrofits, and employee engagement. As with all ICLEI USA cohort learn / do programs, the participants selected a project they wished to complete as a part of the cohort. Most completed a municipal GHG inventory, one a fleet transition to EV plan, and one a plan to install combined heat and power (CHP) at a municipal water facility.