THE ICLEIMONTRÉAL
COMMITMENT
AND STRATEGICVISION
2018-2024

B UILD ING A SUST A I N A BL EU RBAN WORL DThis publication should be cited as
ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, 2018.
The ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision 2018-2024.
Bonn, Germany.
Publisher

ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability e.V.
Kaiser-Friedrich-Strasse 753113 Bonn, Germany
www.iclei.orgtel.:+49 (0)228 / 976 299 00
fax:+49 (0)228 / 976 299 01
e-mail: iclei.ws@iclei.org(c) 2018 ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability e.V.
All rights reserved.

CO NT EN T S>>We live in an urban century

4>>Our Montréal Commitment:
building a sustainable urban world

6>>Our vision: acting through5 strategic pathways

8>>Our policy approaches to drive
global transformation

12>>Conclusion

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COMMITMENTS

THE MONTRÉAL COMMITMENT
AND STRATEGIC VISION 2018-2024

SCALE UP

MAKE SUSTAINABILITY A

SUSTAINABLE

PART OF ALL LOCAL AND
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTAND EXPAND

CITIES AND REGIONSFUNDAMENTAL

LOW EMISSIONPATHWAYS

DEVELOPMENTCIRCULARDEVELOPMENT

NATURE-BASEDDEVELOPMENTPOLICYSUSTAINABLE GOVERNANCEOUR POLICY APPROACHES

2The ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision 2018-2024

TO DRIVE GLOBAL

TRANSFORMATION& MANAGEMENT: SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT IS A
COLLECTIVE EFFORTTACKLE THE MOSTPRESSING ISSUES OFOUR TIME TO PROTECT THE

LONG-TERM INTERESTSOF CITIZENSUNDERTAKE A

COLLECTIVE

EFFORTFOR GLOBAL CHANGE ACROSS ALL
SECTORS AND LEVELS OF GOVERNMENTRESILIENTDEVELOPMENTEQUITABLE AND
PEOPLE-CENTEREDDEVELOPMENTSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTFINANCE: SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT NEEDSAND FOR ALL

MODELS OF FINANCEINNOVATION & SCIENCE:

MUST WORK WITHINNOVATIVEThe ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision 2018-2024

3

W E L I V E I N AN
U R B A N C EN TU R Y

4WE LIVE IN AN URBAN CENTURY
More than ever, our cities and surrounding regions are on the frontline of a globally changing world and need to rapidly adapt to shifts
in nearly every dimension of urban life.
The impacts of increasing urbanization, demographic change,
climate change, technological advancement and development
challenges, including public health crises, and the need to end
systemic inequities and poverty, are particularly visible in our urban
environments.
Many perceive our cities and surrounding regions as centersof opportunity and prosperity and, indeed, they are importanthubs of economy, innovation, production, consumption, socialand cultural interaction. At the same time, numerous cities areplaces where deep poverty and inequity prevail, and where severe
natural degradation proliferates with ecosystems pushed past theirthresholds.
As our cities rise, grow and change, so do the demands on our
finite natural resources, thus further reinforcing disparities incommunities across the world.
Therefore, the only way forward is to urgently reverse this trend
and drastically re-orient the patterns of our daily life, our built
environment and the natural systems in and around our cities.
Over centuries, we have built urban environments and today they
accommodate half of humanity. For decades we experimented,
pioneered and made efforts to create sustainable cities andneighboring regions. In many cases we have been successful.
Now, we must accelerate and scale up these experiences to create
an entire urban world that is sustainable.

The ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision 2018-2024

5

O U R M O N T R ÉAL
CO MMI T M EN T :BUILDING AS U S T A IN ABL E
U R B A N WO R L D

6

OUR MONTRÉAL COMMITMENT:BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE URBAN WORLDWhen a group of forward-thinking cities founded ICLEI in 1990, they
took action before sustainable development was the predominantmodel for change. Today, in ICLEI, we are mainstreaming sustainable
development in all aspects within and interacting with our sharedurban future.
Being part of ICLEI nurtures our collective potential for creatingchange. Our ICLEI network of more than 1,500 Members andnetwork-cities is widely recognized as a leading organization withvisionary local leaders acting worldwide. We represent small, large
and often fast growing cities, vast metropolitan areas, capitals,
provinces and regions. Yet, we are deeply united in our commitment
to inspire, learn from and work with each other on our shared
journey towards a sustainable urban world.
With new UN sustainability frameworks in place towards 2030
and 2050, notably the Paris Climate Agreement, the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda – each forwhich we advocated so intensively over the last decades – we cannow, more than ever, shape the global sustainable development
agenda in collaboration with nations, subnational governments,
business and civil society.
Therefore, we - the ICLEI Members - commit:>>to scale up and expand the model of sustainable cities andregions to create a sustainable urban world. We regard
sustainable development not just as smart but as fundamental
to life on Earth; it is a right of all and not a privilege of a few.
>>to shift the balance towards sustainable development in andamong our jurisdictions and make sustainability a fundamental
and inextricable part of all local and global development.
>>to tackle the most pressing issues of our time in more
fundamental and systemic ways than ever before and, in doing
so, take profound decisions in the long-term interests of our
citizens.
>>to undertake a collective effort for global change, pushing foraction by all sectors and levels of government. The sum of ourefforts, actions and policies will be a catalyst for the globalchange that humanity needs in this urban century.

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OUR VISION:
A CT I NG TH R O UG H 5
S T R A T E G I C PATH W A Y S
As a compass to manage our rapidly changing urban andglobal environment and to transform our cities and regionsthat surround them, we – the ICLEI Members- will drive
action through five critical and strategic pathways which areclosely interlinked.

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OUR VISION: ACTING THROUGH
5 STRATEGIC PATHWAYS
To achieve a sustainable urban world, we will undertake
transformative actions that support:

LOW EMISSION DEVELOPMENT
to curb climate change, create new economic opportunities andimprove the health of people and natural systems.
>>We will drastically reduce all environmentally harmful pollutantsand emissions from heating, cooling, lighting and food systems
as well as reduce noise. We will reduce our greenhouse gas
emissions in all our activities, especially in our transport, waste
and building sector. We commit to implement the Paris Climate
Agreement goal of keeping the global warming increase to well
below 2°C and will pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase
to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
>>We will aim to achieve climate neutrality in our own infrastructure
and operations before mid-century and actively promote therenewable energy era, by divesting from fossil fuels, by committing to
100 percent renewable energy and by using nature-based solutions.
>>We will promote sustainable passenger and freight mobility,
prioritize clean fuel policies and electric vehicles from renewableenergy where possible, and give priority to walking, cycling, public
transit and shared mobility as part of people-centered solutions.

NATURE-BASED DEVELOPMENT
to protect and enhance the biodiversity and ecosystems in and aroundour cities, which underpin key aspects of our local economies and uponwhich we depend for the well-being and resilience of our communities.
>>We will prioritize healthy local environments, in which air, water,
soil and all natural resources that sustain life and health areprotected and nurtured.
>>We will deploy strategies and plans that use the potential nature
has to provide essential ecosystem services and to unlock new
economic opportunities in our jurisdictions.
>>We will apply nature-based solutions, use blue and green
infrastructure options and promote green zones to reconnect
and engage with nature in our new urban world.
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CIRCULAR DEVELOPMENT
and new models of production and consumption to build
sustainable societies that use recyclable, sharable and regenerative
resources, to end the linear model of “produce, consume, discard”
and to meet the material/development needs of a growing
global population.
>>We will decouple urban, economic development from resource
consumption and environmental degradation and factor
environmental and social costs into the price of goods andservices. We will encourage equitable access to resources andcreate closed-loop urban and peri-urban systems to end linear
economic activity.
>>We will support new local economies that are productive and not
extractive, where resources are exchanged and not wasted. We
will prioritize sustainable waste management options including
prevention, re-use and recycling of waste.
>>We will work with the business sector from early-market
engagement to the delivery of solutions that support local
sustainability goals and that meet the needs of all citizens. We
will use our procurement power to green our economies.

RESILIENT DEVELOPMENT
to anticipate, prevent, absorb and recover from shocks andstresses, in particular those brought about by rapid environmental,
technological, social and demographic change, and to improve
essential basic response structures and functions.
>>We will make resilience a core part of our municipal strategies
and prepare for new risks and impacts taking into account therights and needs of vulnerable sections of our society.
>>We will continuously strengthen our essential systems, including
our municipal operations, to prevent, absorb and recover fromshocks, stresses and unforeseen changes, alleviating the burden
on people and the environment.
>>We will pursue a transparent and inclusive approach on
resilience that will enhance trust in our institutions and theprocesses that support them.

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The ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision 2018-2024

EQUITABLE AND PEOPLE-CENTEREDDEVELOPMENT
to build more just, livable and inclusive urban communities andaddress poverty.
>>We will pursue processes and patterns of an “inclusive
development for all” that safeguard the natural support systems
for human life.
>>We will ensure that the natural and built environment in andaround cities improves livability and safety, mitigates disease,promotes human health and well-being. We pursue secure andsafe access to food, water, energy, sanitation for all, culture andeducation, as well as clean air and soil.
>>We will create and sustain human-centered, safe, and culturally
vibrant communities where tangible and non-tangible cultural
heritage activities are important assets and where diversity is
woven into the social fabric.

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O U R P O L I C Y APPR O A CH E S
T O D R I V E G L O BALT R A NSF O R M AT I O N
By applying sustainable development
principles within a local and regional
context, ICLEI Members can effectively
address and even reverse detrimental
practices, bridging divides andconnecting actors, sectors andregions of the world.
To support this commitment andstrategic vision, we will strengthentransformative, innovative
niches of sustainability, undertake
necessary regulation, mitigate
and manage social andenvironmental risk and halt
the many manifestationsof unsustainable behavior
in our jurisdictions.

N I C E I M AG E

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SUSTAINABLE GOVERNANCE &MANAGEMENT: SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT IS A COLLECTIVE EFFORTWE WILL PRIORITIZE DIVERSITY AND
INCLUSIVITY ACROSS OURADMINISTRATIONS AND COMMUNITIES.
Diversity in race, color, religion, creed, gender, age, physical andmental capabilities and sexual orientation will be a source ofstrength, innovation and new ideas. We celebrate the diversity of thecommunities we represent and ensure that the distinct voices andinterests within them are heard.

WE WILL STRENGTHEN COOPERATION
AT A REGIONAL SCALE.
Cities are inextricably linked with and depend on the peri-urban
and rural areas and their ecosystems. We will therefore formulate
and implement urban sustainable development strategies that aredesigned with a territorial and supply-chain approach.

The ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision 2018-2024

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WE WILL BRING THE VOICE OF OUR
CITIZENS TO THE GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT DEBATE.
Local, national and global policy must be shaped from the groundup. Our governments are the closest to the citizens of the world,
and we can best demonstrate how development decisions impact
their real lives, every day. It is our duty to engage with the peopleof our communities, to understand their perspectives and to
spread the message globally. We will unite our voices and advocate
for appropriate, formal consultation and hearings at all relevantinternational organizations, agencies and institutions.

WE WILL FOSTER STRONG PARTNERSHIPS TOADVANCE GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY.
Delivering on the global sustainable development goals requires
coordinated action across national, regional and local governments,
multilateral organizations, international agencies, research anddevelopment institutions, as well as civil society. We will push to
redefine sustainable development as a joint effort, positioning
all levels of government to rapidly advance global sustainability
goals and seek support for our actions, including finance, capacity
building, research and innovation. We will work in partnership, fromthe UN level to the local level, to expand sustainability across theurban world.

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The ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision 2018-2024

INNOVATION & SCIENCE:SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT MUST
WORK WITH AND FOR ALL
WE WILL USE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES ASA TOOL FOR INCLUSION AND SAFEGUARDSUSTAINABILITY-DRIVEN DIGITALIZATION.
Our connected, technological world creates many new challenges
and risks for sustainable cities, including data security risks,
increased infrastructure vulnerability and large resource use. At
the same time, technology provides new tools for community
engagement, data collection and co-creation of solutions. We will
promote conscious, sustainability-driven use of these tools to
promote citizen-driven action, crowdsourced ideas and co-designed
solutions, bridging all forms of the social divide. We will use these
open processes to empower communities and to enable citizens todrive digitalization transparently, democratically, safely, responsibly
and in line with sustainability principles.

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WE WILL PROMOTE EVIDENCE-DRIVEN ANDSCIENCE-BASED POLICY AND ACTION AT ALL
LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT.
Scientific evidence and practitioner expertise are the foundationsof sound policy. We will improve the collection, creation anddissemination of scientifically sound knowledge and accurate
information and enhance transparency and accountability in theprocess. We will take such information to national and global
conversations, making sure that decisions are connected to what
happens on the ground. We will empower our officials and leaders
to collaborate with the scientific community, increase funding for
urban research, craft and jointly pursue targeted research agendas
as well as co-create and apply new knowledge and insights.

WE WILL DRIVE INNOVATION THROUGH CITYBUSINESS COLLABORATION AND CREATE SPACEFOR OPEN INNOVATION.
Participatory planning and development has entered a new age of
co-design and co-creation. We will set up partnerships with institutions
and communities to generate ideas, test solutions and evaluate thepotential impacts of new policies based on real-life scenarios.

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The ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision 2018-2024

FINANCE: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTNEEDS INNOVATIVE MODELS OF FINANCEWE WILL SHIFT THE FINANCING AND
PROCUREMENT LANDSCAPE.
All the aforementioned activity requires financing and we will seek
funding partnerships to support our long term commitment. Making
funding more directly accessible to all levels of government anddistributing that same funding more appropriately is essential toadvance sustainable development at our level.
We will push to unlock financing for our projects and will design
innovative local mechanisms to raise capital and increasesustainable investments. We will use our public procurement
potential as an instrument to accelerate the uptake of sustainable
and innovative products and services.

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Sustainable development is the only viable
pathway for global change in today’s world.
We will deliver visionary leadership and political support to accelerateaction on sustainable development worldwide. We will lead byexample, share our knowledge openly and speak with a united voice.
We will create lasting mechanisms for change that make sustainability
a permanent framework, informing all development decisions. This
global imperative is vulnerable to political shifts at any moment – andwe need durable forces to carry us forward.
The ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision is our pledge
to make sustainable development the only model for developmentin the urban 21st century. Our joint programs, projects, initiatives,
research, capacity building and advocacy in ICLEI drive worldwide
action. Our mutual support for and solidarity with one anotherare core reasons why we are part of ICLEI. Our interactions build
a global movement that includes a growing number of local andregional governments worldwide. We spark local action at a global
scale and in doing so we leverage the power of the ICLEI network
The world is watching our actions and takes cues from our ambition.
This ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision “Building a
Sustainable Urban World “ was adopted by the ICLEI Council on 30
May 2018, in advance to the ICLEI World Congress 2018 in Montréal,
Canada and is referred to as the ICLEI Montréal Commitment andStrategic Vision 2018-2024. This ICLEI Montréal Commitment andStrategic Vision provides strategic orientation for action by ICLEIMembers and network cities, of any size, at any subnational level,on any continent and where a sustainable model of development
may soon take hold or is already well ongoing. It lays out how
ICLEI Members and network-cities advance sustainable urban
development, now through 2024, locally and globally, in an era
where new game-changing global frameworks have come into
force, including the Paris Climate Agreement, the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), the New Urban Agenda, and where a
new model of sustainable development governance that includes
more stakeholders is emerging.
The ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision informs the
ICLEI Global Action Plan 2018-2021 that provides an overview ofprograms, projects, initiatives, research, capacity building andadvocacy that ICLEI offices will undertake, now through 2021, and inwhich ICLEI Members and network cities can participate to fulfill the
ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision 2018-2024.

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The ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision 2018-2024

19

This ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision
2018-2024 was adopted by the ICLEI Council on 30 May
2018, in advance of the ICLEI World Congress 2018 in Montréal,
Canada.
The ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision provides
strategic orientation for action by Members of the ICLEI
network, of any size, at any subnational level, on any continent
and where a sustainable model of development may soon takehold or is already well ongoing.
It lays out how the ICLEI network will advance sustainableurban development, now through 2024, locally and globally,in an era where new game-changing global frameworks havecome into force, including the Paris Climate Agreement, theSustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban
Agenda, and where a new stakeholder-driven model ofsustainable development governance is emerging.
The ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision 20182024 informs the ICLEI Montréal Action Plan 2018-2021, acompendium of activities, which ICLEI offices will undertake,
now through 2021, with the local and regional governmentsof ICLEI. The ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision
is the eight strategic framework developed and executed by
ICLEI.

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The ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision 2018-2024

Bonn, Germany, host city of the World Secretariat - 21

Berlin Office

Berlin, Germany

World secretariat

Bonn, Germany

Brussels Office

European Secretariat
Freiburg, Germany

East Asia Secretariat

Japan OfficeSeoul, South Korea

South Asia Secretariat

Tokyo, Japan

Delhi, India

Brussels, Belgium

South India OfficeBejing Office

Korea OfficeBejing, China

Suwon, South Korea

Hyderabad, India

Kaohsiung Capacity Center
Southeast Asia Secretariat

Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei

Manila, Philippines

Indonesia Office

Jakarta, Indonesia

Africa Secretariat

Cape Town, South Africa

Oceania Secretariat

Melbourne, Australia

British Columbia Office
Victoria, Canada

Canada Office

USA Office

Toronto, Canada

Denver, USA

Québec OfficeMontréal, Canada

ICLEI - Local Governments
for Sustainability
World Secretariat
Kaiser-Friedrich-Strasse 753113 Bonn, Germany
tel.: +49 (0)228 / 976 299 00
fax: +49 (0)228 / 976 299 01
e-mail: iclei.ws@iclei.org
web: www.iclei.org

Mexico, Central America& Caribbean Secretariat

Mexico City, Mexico

Colombia Office
Antioquia, Colombia

South America Secretariat

São Paulo, Brazil