Delhi Declaration on local climate action adopted at the ARISE Cities Forum
28 October 2026
The second ARISE Cities Forum 2026 met at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi on 27 and 28 October and ended by adopting a declaration named for the city: the Delhi Declaration on Local Action for Global Climate Goals 2026. ICLEI South Asia organised the forum with the National Institute of Urban Affairs, with support from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. More than 200 people from over 50 cities in more than 18 countries attended three technical plenaries and 14 technical sessions. The theme was From Bharat to Antalya, carrying the words Commit, Implement, Deliver. Ten commitments make up the declaration, among them multilevel climate finance, circularity through cooperation, Global South urban climate leadership, and youth and community leadership. It was handed over to Gino Van Begin, Secretary General of ICLEI, to be carried to COP31 at Antalya in Turkiye. The Delhi Biodiversity Map, prepared by ICLEI South Asia, was released as the forum closed.
In plain words
ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability — A global network of local and regional governments working on sustainability; its South Asia office organised the forum.
NIUA National Institute of Urban Affairs — A national body for urban research and capacity building that co-organised the forum.