At the 2025 TIYA Conference held in Singapore from 22–24 August 2025, themed “Inspire, Empower, Sustain: YOUth for 2030”, organised by the Tzu Chi Foundation, ICLEI South Asia engaged with youth leaders from 14 countries to exchange knowledge and ideas on climate action, sustainable cities, and community resilience. The conference aimed to strengthen partnerships between the youth and stakeholders, enhance capacity for the SDGs, and prioritise the importance of mental well-being in driving sustained engagement.

Recognising the crucial role of the youth in shaping urban sustainable futures, ICLEI South Asia contributed to the event as a co-chair of the UNESCAP-supported Asia-Pacific Localisation Partnership for Sustainable Cities (APLP-CITIES) platform— an international alliance that promotes sustainable urbanisation and localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals through collaboration among national and local governments, development partners, private sector actors, and youth groups.

During the conference, ICLEI South Asia presented an overview of its current activities and projects with cities in the Asia-Pacific region that accelerate the implementation of local climate actions which contribute directly or indirectly to the Paris Agreement and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). Participating as a discussant in group interactions, the organisation encouraged young changemakers to co-create practical solutions for resilience, sustainable mobility, and green infrastructure.

Highlighting some of its broader commitment to youth engagement, ICLEI South Asia shared experiences from its ‘Youth and Sustainability’ programme and recent initiatives such as the Youth for Climate Hackathon, launched at the ARISE Cities Forum—its flagship urban resilience forum of local governments. The Hackathon brought together over 300 young climate leaders from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal to develop creative, context-specific climate solutions for South Asian cities. Through such initiatives, ICLEI South Asia continues to empower youth as key partners in localising global sustainability targets and advancing climate-resilient urban development, in line with ICLEI’s global vision on youth-led climate action.

Beyond the youth dialogues, ICLEI South Asia also showcased its work to prospective partners and participated in a partner focus group session to explore opportunities for collaborative initiatives aimed at accelerating sustainable urbanisation and climate resilience in the region.