Between 16 and 18 August, Porto Alegre hosted the 2nd ICLEI South Regional Meeting, bringing together municipal public managers from various Brazilian cities, representatives from the private sector, academia, startups, and engaged citizens. Under the theme “Urban Innovation for Sustainability,” over 20 hours of activities took place, including technical plenaries and debates, covering a range of urban sustainability topics.

The event began with the work agenda of the CB27 Forum, which brings together secretaries from the environment departments of Brazil's 26 state capitals and the Federal District, and aims for coordinated action by the environment secretariats and the exchange of experiences in urban sustainability. Fifteen capitals sent their representatives to discuss agendas related to climate justice and innovation, in a form of multi-level cooperation and political coordination. The activity had the institutional support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability for its activities.

Also, simultaneously with the ICLEI South Meeting, the Demoday of the 2nd round of the ICLEI Innovation Programme was held, which mentored five startups – Bioplix, Fazenda Bioma, Igapó, Olive + and Nutrindo Soluções, within the theme of Resilient and Circular Food Systems. The event was carried out in conjunction with the Innovation Office of the Porto Alegre City Hall with the support of the Foodtech Alliance RS.

The second day of the meeting began with a ceremony presided over by Rodrigo Perpétuo, executive secretary of ICLEI South America, with the presence of the Mayor of Porto Alegre, Sebastião Melo, and attended by several municipal authorities. During the ceremony, important environmental certifications were awarded. The Porto Alegre City Hall, through the Municipal Secretariat of Environment, Urbanism and Sustainability, recognised ten developments built in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul that had adopted measures contributing to the reduction of water and energy consumption, direct greenhouse gas emissions, and the reduction or recycling of solid waste.

Another highlight of the ceremony was the recognition of Porto Alegre as a Climate Resilience Hub, with the municipality's candidacy being approved by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction's Making Cities Resilient (MCR2030) initiative.

“Climate Modelling for Public Policies”, “Carbon Credit Market”, “Urban Planning Instruments in Porto Alegre: an innovative look at the city”, the use of data and the importance of certifications were some of the themes present in the technical sessions, which featured presentations of experiences from ICLEI members from all over Brazil.

Within the programming, yet another session of the series occurs “Dialogues for Urban Resilience and Risk Management”, which aims to create an expanded learning community with local governments from Brazil and Latin America, on the challenges and opportunities of adaptation and disaster risk management at the local level, as well as the costs of disasters and forms of financing. Finally, ICLEI city representatives will be able to participate in a technical visit demonstrating how the discussed topics can be applied to urban development.

“With a focus on fostering effective exchanges and access to qualified content, ICLEI Meetings allow participating members to identify and access suitable tools to act and respond to their immediate demands. Furthermore, these events, which take place in all Brazilian regions, are becoming a space for Networking ”encouraging cooperation, participation, inclusion and innovation," explains Rodrigo Perpétuo, executive secretary of ICLEI South America.

The 2nd ICLEI South Regional Meeting is an initiative of ICLEI South America and the Municipality of Porto Alegre, co-organised by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the CB27 Forum. It also has the partnership of MRV (ICLEI Partner in 2023), and institutional support from the European Union through the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, the Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) initiative, ACA Brasil, CDP Latin America, and Farol Santander POA.