ICLEI and United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) Announce New Partnership

In order for cities and municipalities to achieve sustainable urban development adequate policies tailored to their unique climatic, social, economic and infrastructural environments need to be developed. Recognizing this need ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, a global network of more than 1750 local and regional governments working towards sustainable urban development, and the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), a UN think tank based in Bonn, Germany, have decided to enter into a partnership to promote evidence-based research on sustainability and urban issues.

Via the use of joint events and the development of research projects and publications both organizations plan to work hand-in hand in future to scale up research efforts, foster mutual learning opportunities and contribute to the exchange of insights between experts and interested parties. Together they want to co-develop proposals for research projects, and co-produce peer reviewed publications on topics of urban sustainability. As part of their educational collaboration, they will provide graduate students and PhD candidates of UNU-EHS with the chance to work on real world problems mapped by ICLEI, both through internships and thesis-writing opportunities.

In addition, ICLEI will draw on UNU-EHS’ insights to organize the “Daring Cities 2020” Conference in Bonn, an action-oriented forum that aims at empowering urban leaders to tackle the climate crisis.

Gino Van Begin, ICLEI’s Secretary General, is exited about the new partnership. He emphasizes: “Science-based research should be a driving force in urban sustainability policy. And local governments should play an important role in the direction and development of this research. The partnership between ICLEI and the United National University Institute for Environment and Human Security brings together these two leading Bonn organizations to accomplish these critical goals”.

The goal of ICLEI’s Global Research Strategy is to enable subnational governments to accelerate sustainable development based on informed robust research. The partnership with UNU-EHS addresses this objective by providing an additional source of knowledge.

For more information, read the media release here.