Local governments working towards sustainability

Do you know how local governments are greening up and developing their sustainability endeavours? Most people are unaware of this, so we will be telling you more about the work they do and the important progress made.

We’re proud to partner with ICLEI, a world-wide association of Local Governments working towards urban sustainability and more specifically with the Africa Secretariat situated in Cape Town.

ICLEI promotes local action for global sustainability and supports cities to become sustainable, resilient, resource-efficient, biodiverse, low-carbon; to build a smart infrastructure; and to develop an inclusive, green urban economy. The ultimate aim is to achieve healthy and happy communities. They have developed stable, long-term programs to support local-level sustainability and continue to develop innovative new programs to respond to issues of international concern.

The ICLEI Africa Secretariat, the regional office for ICLEI in Africa, South Africa collaborates closely with the global ICLEI network and other regional offices around the world, in sharing tools, materials and strategies and good practices specifically designed and implemented at the local level.

Local action in Africa becomes more critical

The African Secretariat has seen continual growth over the past years as local action in Africa becomes more critical, to its current total of 69 member local governments, in over 18 different countries across Africa.

ICLEI membership provides access to a worldwide network of peers allowing its members to benefit from, and contribute to, the success of others in the global community. Through its membership, ICLEI aims to

• connect members with other local government leaders and to other relevant actors, including businesses and the academia
• help accelerate cities´ actions towards more resilience at the local level, which will contribute to enhanced sustainability globally
• provide members with access to a gateway to solutions, which supports mobilizing local visions to actions.

Strategic key environmental work streams

ICLEI Africa implements its activities in Africa through a range of projects and initiatives within its strategic key environmental work streams within the Secretariat, such as

• Climate Resilience
• Low Emission Development
• Integrated Urban Water Management
• Urban Biodiversity
• Integrated Urban Planning

In addition to the work done in Africa, ICLEI Africa is home to the ICLEI Cities Biodiversity Center, which has ICLEI’s mandate to engage globally with local governments on biodiversity-related matters. The Centre’s activities are based on promoting the concept of natural capital and addressing the degradation of ecosystem goods and services that underpin human well-being. It is also home to ICLEI’s flagship biodiversity programme, namely Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB).

ICLEI Africa’s flagship event this year is the biennial Local Climate Solutions for Africa 2013 Congress taking place from 30 October to 1 November 2013 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This event is convened by ICLEI Africa, in partnership with the City of Dar es Salaam and aims to provide a unique and accessible platform for African leaders, their associations, national governments, scientists, technical experts, development partners, business, industry and civil society to engage on the complex issues and innovative solutions related to urbanisation in Africa through the broad context of climate change.

Building on last year’s progress

The Local Climate Solutions for Africa 2013 Congress will build on the progress and outcomes achieved at the first LOCS event held in Cape Town, which attracted widespread attention in drawing an audience from over 25 West, East, Central and Southern African countries.

With its strategically cross-cutting and interlinked Congress themes, the event will provide a key opportunity to strengthen the sharing of global good practice and locally appropriate solutions and technologies towards accelerated climate action on the ground. Congress themes will include a strong emphasis on local leadership, financing and accelerated integrated action at the local and sub-national level, underpinned by a special focus on the food-water-energy nexus as pivotal pillars in addressing climate change in Africa.

For more contact the ICLEI Africa Secretariat at iclei-africa@iclei.org or 021 487 2312.