ICLEI South America and the Mercocities Network renewed, this Thursday (13), their Framework Cooperation Agreement, with which the two networks commit to deepening, over the next two years, joint work on sustainable development, international agendas and urban-environmental initiatives for local governments in South America.

The signing updates the agreement originally signed in 2022 and took place on the first day of the Mercocities Council meeting, which is being held between August 13 and 14 in Quilmes, Argentina — a city celebrating its 360th anniversary and holding the Vice-Presidency for Governance and Cultural Integration of the network. More than twenty cities from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay have confirmed their presence at the two-day Council event.

“For us, it is an honor and a privilege to renew our network,” said Rodrigo Perpétuo, executive secretary of ICLEI South America, during the event, highlighting the role of government networks in advocacy and international coordination in securing funding and more technical contributions to the Global South.

Joint positioning regarding the three COPs

The renewed agreement defines 2026 as a strategic year for environmental multilateralism: after COP30, held in Belém, the focus shifts to implementation, with local and subnational governments as key actors.

In this context, ICLEI and Mercocities agreed to develop three joint political positions, one for each of the Rio Conventions: the COP17 on Desertification (UNCCD) in August; the COP17 on Biodiversity (CBD) in October; and the COP31 on Climate (UNFCCC) in November. The initiative follows up on the Mercocities Political Position presented at the 13th World Urban Forum, which took place in 2026, and seeks to strengthen the Latin American subnational voice on the global agendas of climate, biodiversity, and desertification. The joint work will begin with the development of the position towards the COP17 on Desertification — whose position is open for government contributions until August 18th..

School of Resilience in Juiz de Fora

The agreement also supports the holding of the 9th Resilience School, which will take place in Juiz de Fora, with the theme "Infrastructure to build caring, safe and resilient cities". Organized by Mercocidades and the Resilient Cities Network (RCN), the School will have the collaboration of ICLEI South America, which will contribute its articulation capacity, technical knowledge and regional reach in support of the host city.

The two networks also agreed to continue cooperating on instruments such as the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, as well as promoting other urban-environmental actions of common interest. The agreement is valid for two years from the date of signature.