Daring Cities 2026 Bonn Dialogues

June 22, 2026

Daring Cities 2026 Bonn Dialogues

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The Daring Cities 2026 Bonn Dialogues were held from June 10 to 12, 2026, in Bonn, Germany. Co-hosted by ICLEI and the City of Bonn alongside the 64th session of the Subsidiary Bodies of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (SB64), the event brought together mayors and other local government leaders, government representatives, research institutions, international organizations, and other stakeholders from around the world. The Bonn Dialogues served as an important mid-year review to share progress toward achieving climate targets and discuss implementation strategies looking ahead to COP31 and beyond.

This year’s theme was strengthening multilevel governance in the “Implementation Era.” As countries move toward implementing their new climate targets under NDC 3.0, the discussions focused on the important role of local governments in supporting national climate policies. Participants exchanged views on strengthening cooperation between local and national governments, expanding access to climate finance, and integrating scientific knowledge into policymaking.

At the opening plenary on June 10, mayors and leaders from various sectors gathered to discuss the changing landscape of climate governance and explore how local governments can move from announcing climate targets to implementing concrete climate action.

From Japan, Yokohama Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka participated in the opening plenary session. Mayor Yamanaka presented the role of cities in promoting partnerships and the circular economy to encourage behavioral change among citizens, stimulate local economies, and improve the well-being of local communities. He also emphasized how collaboration with diverse stakeholders can help climate action create economic opportunities while improving quality of life.

ICLEI Japan Chair Takemoto also participated in the event in Bonn and supported Yokohama City’s international outreach and engagement with stakeholders.

At the subsequent session, “Leveraging Town Hall COPs as a Mechanism for Multilevel Climate Action,” Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike delivered a video message, emphasizing the increasingly important role of cities in protecting people’s lives and livelihoods as the impacts of climate change intensify. She also introduced the TIME TO ACT Forum 2025, held by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government as a Town Hall COP in 2025, highlighting discussions that connected urban mitigation and adaptation measures with global climate action. She further noted that the outcomes of the forum were shared at COP30 through ICLEI, contributing to the advancement of multilevel climate action.

On June 12, ICLEI and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) co-hosted a side event at SB64. The session discussed measures needed to translate countries’ climate targets under NDC 3.0 into concrete results. Participants shared the recognition that, while local governments are increasingly positioned as key implementers of national climate policies, stronger cooperation among national, regional, and local governments through multilevel governance, expanded access to finance, and enhanced capacity in human resources and technology are essential to turning plans into action.

Daring Cities is an international platform that aims to accelerate climate action by local governments and promote international policy dialogue. The Bonn Dialogues reaffirmed the importance of strengthening multilevel governance and supporting local governments as they move from announcing climate targets toward implementation. The insights and recommendations shared during the event will be communicated through future international conferences and regional forums and are expected to contribute to amplifying the voices of local governments toward COP31.

We also invite you to view the photo albums from the event: [Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3].