About

Every three years, ICLEI hosts the ICLEI World Congress to showcase how cities, towns and regions across our network are advancing sustainable urban development worldwide. The ICLEI World Congress connects local and regional governments with their peers and strategic partners, and provides a platform for discussions that will inform and enhance their work.

From the founding World Congress in New York City, USA in 1990, the ICLEI World Congress has always taken a deep and critical look at the most relevant and pressing issues in urban sustainability. The ICLEI World Congress is the core event organized by ICLEI. Each event is a chance for the network and our partners to come together and outline the future of sustainability in urban areas worldwide.

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is a global network of more than 2,500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. Active in 125+ countries, we influence sustainability policy and drive local action for low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development. Our Members and team of experts work together through peer exchange, partnerships and capacity building to create systemic change for urban sustainability.

An ICLEI Member since 1996, the City of Malmö is a climate-smart knowledge city, listed as the fourth most innovative in the world by OECD. Malmö is working actively for sustainability initiatives and is the first city in Sweden that has publicly announced the commitment to implement the UN SDG’s.

With around 350,000 inhabitants, Malmö might be small in size, but big in ambition. The city has adopted a unique approach to sustainability, with environmental, financial and social effects all forming part of the equation. Everything that happens in Malmö is done with sustainability in mind. New climate-smart city districts are emerging, and old areas are being improved using new environmental technology. And the objectives are ambitious: By 2030 the whole city of Malmö will be supplied with 100% renewable energy.