ICLEI is conducting research to help identify drivers and challenges for cities to participate at market mechanisms in the international realm, and more specifically with the cooperative approaches being negotiated at COP 24 & 25. ICLEI together with Perspectives, a German consultancy, is therefore analyzing different CDM, TAP and NAMA projects as well as proposing different approaches for cities to participate with future mechanisms running under Article 6.2 and 6.4 of the PA.

ICLEI is an implementing partner in the LGCCSP4 through the development of training material and provision of capacity building. The methodology used in the implementation of the activity is three fold as follows:
-To inform the development of the capacity building workshops, training materials and in-depth technical assistance, ICLEI undertook a desktop research and reviewed relevant studies, papers, and projects undertaken in South Africa, Africa and globally, with a specific focus on local government climate action and climate finance.
-To foster a thorough understanding of climate/green finance principles for local government officials, ICLEI developed a training manual drawing on the key lessons and implications for climate and green finance in South Africa.
– Conducted highly interactive training to 200 municipal officials using a learning-by-doing approach and to provide a review of municipal project proposals to determine the best-suited types of funding and financing and the best type of funders.

•Conduct Sustainability Assessment of Existing Programs
•Develop Sustainability Baseline Assessment and Gaps
•Set Sustainability Goals
•Develop the Sustainability Plan
•Implement the Plan and Monitor Program
•Develop Sustainability Work Program Document
•Engage the Public, City Council, and Other Stakeholders

Through the project, ICLEI will support in the preparation of the Vulnerability Index and Climate Change Adaptation Plan for the city of Recife, which aims to identify and prioritize concrete measures to adapt to climate change in the city, based on the analysis vulnerability and climate risk, addressing the environmental, economic and social dimensions in a way that contributes to building the city's climate resilience in the face of dangers related to climate change. The project will take place through the city vulnerability analysis for climate change and the identification of priority areas of intervention with emphasis on priority intervention areas (hotspots).

In this H2020 project, ICLEI is involved in the following tasks:
1. Desktop research in order to understand mobility cultures and mobility styles.
This has been done by doing qualitative desktop research, examining empirical evidence focusing on Eastern European countries to understand the car sharing diffusion in these countries.
ICLEI focused on understanding how new mobility car sharing cultures could emerge in a context where the penetration of cush services is not very high (Eastern European countries)
2. ICLEI is involved in developing a toolbox to help decision-makers integrate car sharing into SUMPs. This is an ongoing activity and the toolbox will be tested in February 2020.
3. ICLEI established a group of 7 Uptake cities that are following the project, understanding the STARS results and as a final result they will write 1-2 page document on how they would implement car sharing scheme in their city. ICLEI organised webinars and workshops.
4. Large role ICLEI has in organising two dissemination workshops.

ICLEI worked with partners to organize the Low-Carbon City 2.0 Professional Series Workshops and The International Conference on Mitigation Strategies for Green Transformation in Cities. International experts from Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia were invited to give a series of trainings on decarbonizing actions, urban energy efficiency improvement and low-carbon transformation featuring case studies in East Asia cities and the world. The in-depth discussions between local officers and international experts enhanced the sense of responsibility of carbon reduction in various departments, and promoted the role of local governments in changing from “regulation” to the supporting multi-stakeholders in the new climate and low carbon regime.

ICLEI works to make ICT Fair improving the lives of workers and those impacted along different stages of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) supply chain through research, campaigning, capacity building and advocacy.

The Urban Transition Alliance connects industrial legacy cities from Europe, USA and China committed to accelerate ambitious and inclusive transitions, as well as showcasing their sustainability leadership. Alliance cities share their own transition experiences, knowledge and good practices based on social, economic and environmental challenges within their unique industrial legacy context. Through a tailored exchange platform hosted by ICLEI, the Alliance helps cities to identify and leverage expertise to co-create implementation strategies for sustainability-related projects.

During the current project phase, the ICLEI further encourages the Alliance member cities to include an equity-based approach in their transition projects, not only to achieve climate and environmental targets, but also to provide opportunities to vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. Alliance cities receive support on key equity-focused sustainability issues through two challenge cycles in 2020 and 2021 with 4-5 challenge topics selected per round. The outcomes of these challenge support cycles will shape a blueprint of lessons and good practices for cities worldwide on how social equity and climate action can reinforce each other.

Through the Reflecting Cities project, ICLEI aims to provide African cities with spaces for reflection to assist them in engaging with the complex urban planning challenges they have identified. The project facilitates a number of exchanges to support urban planners (including representatives from national and local governments) in learning from the experiences of other cities, supported by experts. The project cities have each identified a case study of a complex planning topic with which they are currently wrestling The topics being explored include waste management, greening and traffic management. Based on the technical skills required for each case study, the project provides opportunities to engage with and learn from experts in relevant fields while benefiting from inter-city learning.

To assist SI-CAT in its efforts, ICLEI is compiling the best practices in urban resilience and adaptation programs/projects taking place outside of Japan. In 2017-18, ICLEI conducted a set of interviews with local governments worldwide, analyzing those practices and submitted reports which will be used to help researchers and local government officials to further develop understanding of urban resilience and thus contributing to the development of adaptation plans at local level. In 2019, ICLEI will research and compile examples of how local governments are utilizing and systematically managing scientific data in its resilience planning and in its adaptation programs/projects.