The advisory groups of the Urban-LEDS II Project meet for the first time in Brazil and Colombia

With the first meetings of the Urban-LEDS II project's advisory groups taking place in cities in Brazil and Colombia, the project has taken an important step forward. Participation in advisory groups is one of the ways ICLEI South America contributes to strengthening local governments' sustainability efforts.

Implemented by ICLEI and UN-Habitat, Urban-LEDS II supports cities in developing Low Emission Development Strategies (LEDS) and facilitates a transformation of how urban infrastructure and services (transport, energy, water, waste, and urban space) are planned to be more resilient and low-carbon. In Brazil, the participating cities are: Fortaleza, Recife, Belo Horizonte, Betim, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, and Sorocaba. In Colombia, the participating cities are: Cartago, Envigado, Ibagué, Manizales, Santiago de Cali, the Aburrá Valley Metropolitan Area, Tópaga, and Valledupar.

In Brazil, the first meeting of the national advisory group for the Urban-LEDS II project took place during Latin America and the Caribbean Climate Week (LACCW) in Salvador, Bahia, from August 19 to 23. This annual event brings together discussions on topics related to the local and regional action agenda for combating the climate crisis. The ICLEI LEDS Lab was also officially launched during Climate Week, aiming to enhance cities' capacity to develop bankable projects that incorporate climate-sensitive criteria.

Between September 23 and 26, several events related to the topic took place in Colombia. Among them was the first meeting of the National Advisory Group for the Urban-LEDS II project in the country, which was held at the UN-Habitat Colombia office in Bogotá on September 23 and aimed to create a space for consultation with strategic national stakeholders.

The Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the Ministry of Transport, the European Union, Asocapitales, CDP and Findeter participated.

The National Urban Forum – National Meeting of Cities Urban-LEDS II “Towards Resilient and Sustainable Development in Cities” also took place this week in Colombia, on September 24th in the city of Cartagena. With the aim of promoting and sharing ideas for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the forum provided a discussion on low-carbon and resilient urban planning, and climate action financing.

Still in Cartagena, the cities of Urban-LEDS II participated in the Regional Dialogue – Financing Sustainable Urban Development and Climate Action, which provided an exchange of ideas and lessons among the cities participating in the International Urban Cooperation (IUC) Programme on how to develop bankable projects and secure investments.

Finally, it was also carried out in the Colombian cities of Manizales and Envigorated, A workshop with local stakeholders for the development of the Climate Action Plan within the Urban-LEDS II project, and to present the preliminary results of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory