Near the end of March, global local government leaders gathered in Durban, South Africa, for a workshop funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through ICMA’s CityLinks program. The workshop was organized to create a framework for implementing the Durban Adaptation Charter (DAC), a commitment generated in December 2011 at the Durban Local Government Direction during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties 17. One hundred seven local government officials, representing more than 950 local governments globally, signed the Charter, committing to prepare their communities for future climate change challenges.

In order to further the implementation of these political commitments, ICMA’s CityLinks program lent support by funding the Durban Adaptation Charter Implementation Guidance Workshop, while their partner, ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability Africa (ICLEI-Africa), organized the event. Some of the local government needs identified during the workshop were access to funding, global advocacy, national support, capacity and leadership development, integration with local agendas and plans, and city-to-city sharing via exchange visits.

The officials established a governance framework designed to advance the international profile of adaptation, as well as provide ongoing implementation support for signatories. The outcomes from the workshop will be recorded in a summary report of findings, which will be presented at ICLEI’s upcoming Resilient Cities Congress in Bonn, Germany, from May 31 to June 2, 2013.

Durban is also known as eThekwini Municipality, its historic name before colonial rule. EThekwini Municipality Mayor, Councillor James Nxumalo, leader of the Durban Adaptation Charter Secretariat, expressed in an opening address, “Through this Implementation Guidance Workshop, we will further identify potential governance mechanisms, the need for support for the implementation of the DAC, and for appropriate mechanisms for documenting progress.”

Concluding the workshop, eThekwini Municipality announced that Durban will participate in a city-to-city exchange with another African city that will be determined later. CityLinks will finance the exchange and enable government leaders to share strategies aimed at alleviating the effects of climate change adaptation. These actions will ultimately empower cities to become more resilient.

To learn more, visit the ICMA International website, the International Development topic area in the Knowledge Network, and the International Dispatches and Notes from CityLinks blogs, or e-mail international@icma.org.