ICLEI Oceania sent a delegation from its member councils recently to the ICLEI World Congress in Malmö to join over 625 other leaders from over 50 countries to engage in high level dialogue, inspirational learning opportunities, knowledge exchange, and leadership networking with heavy emphasis on social inclusion and community participation. The clear message resonating throughout the congress was that, “People must be at the heart of everything we do.”

The event included over 25 sessions, ten of which were virtual sessions, an additional 13 mobile sessions, and six high level discussions as well as a number of workshops. The Oceania region was represented by Mayor Botika Maitinnara of Betio Town Council,Kiribati, Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes of the City of Newcastle, Mayor Ann Ferguson of the District of Mount Barker, and Cr. Amanda Stone ICLEI Regional Executive Committee Chair and City of Yarra Councillor.

ICLEI Oceania’s Engagement

Mayor Botika Maitinnara spoke at the opening plenary of the Congress on the need for more urgent action and financial support for small islands which are at the front line of climate change.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes shared how the City of Newcastle is leading a just transition from coal and steel by including all stakeholders.

Cr. Amanda Stone demonstrated how the City of Yarra has approached building a green, healthy city, in collaboration with stakeholders, while Mayor Ann Ferguson drew attention to the role and value of nature in cities with a video of her city of Mount Barker.

Also at the ICLEI World Congress were the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), ICLEI and Kiribati representatives who met to plan an ambitious resilience and adaptation project in Kiribati, funded by the German Government.

ICLEI Oceania’s Regional Director Steve Gawler and Programs and Partnerships Manager Jessica Robbins were also in attendance in Malmö to hold a range of meetings with ICLEI Global and the Global Covenant of Mayors to discuss opportunities to better serve our members in Oceania. As a result we will be exploring a suite of new tools to help our members engage their people in the transformation to a more sustainable place.

The Malmö Commitment

The ICLEI World congress culminated in the launch of the Malmö Commitment which empowers local and regional governments to place people and social equity at the core of local sustainable development. The current climate emergency calls for action now and the transition must be holistic, inclusive, and fair if cities are to contribute to the goals set in the Paris Agreement, and more broadly to the Sustainable Development Goals. Under the leadership of the Mayor of Malmö and ICLEI Global Executive Committee First Vice President, Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, the Malmö Commitment was officially launched.

Watch these video highlights from our delegates about what inspired them at Malmo.

 Thank you to the City of Malmö for hosting the ICLEI World Congress. Malmö generously provided financial support for the Oceania delegation. 

To find out more about the next ICLEI World Congress and how to join ICLEI Oceania please contact us.