Pariksha SaathiFrom Bharat to Antalya: Delhi Declaration 2026, adopted at the close of the second ARISE Cities Forum in New Delhi, calls for stronger multilevel climate action ahead of COP31
The ARISE Cities Forum 2026 concluded in New Delhi on 28 October 2026 with the adoption of the Delhi Declaration on Local Action for Global Climate Goals, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs said. Held on 27-28 October 2026 at the India Habitat Centre, the second edition of the Forum was organised by ICLEI South Asia in collaboration with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), with support from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. It brought together more than 200 participants from more than 50 cities across more than 18 countries, and comprised three technical plenaries and 14 technical sessions. Themed 'From Bharat to Antalya - Commit. Implement. Deliver', the Forum made a united call by cities and local governments across the Global South for stronger multilevel collaboration and for recognition as indispensable partners in global climate governance; this collective ambition, articulated in the Delhi Declaration 2026, will now travel to COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye. The Forum closed with the adoption of the Declaration and its formal handover to Gino Van Begin, Secretary General of ICLEI. Building on the 2025 Declaration, the Declaration positions cities as key contributors to international climate negotiations, bringing the experiences and priorities of the Global South into the UNFCCC process, and sets out ten shared commitments, among them institutionalising multilevel climate finance and achieving an energy transition outcome that recognises and accelerates subnational delivery to return to the 1.5°C pathway. With 2026 a 'Triple COP' year, the release says, the Declaration is also a call for coordinated action across the climate, biodiversity and land agendas. The closing ceremony also saw the launch of the Delhi Biodiversity Map developed by ICLEI South Asia.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
The first ARISE Cities Forum, held in New Delhi on 8-9 October 2025 and co-hosted by ICLEI South Asia and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), produced the first Delhi Declaration on Local Action for Global Climate Goals, setting the stage for COP30, the UNFCCC Climate Conference. More than 200 delegates from 60 cities and 25 countries took part, and the Forum was opened by Tokhan Sahu, Minister of State, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Adopted at the close of the two-day Forum, that Declaration was to be handed over to the COP30 Presidency in Belém as a collective statement of urban ambition; it was handed over by Shankar Lalwani, Member of Parliament from Indore, to Rodrigo De Souza Corradi of ICLEI South America. Its shared commitments included advancing local climate action through enhanced, measurable and resourced multilevel NDCs, mobilising climate finance and expanding direct access for cities, and championing Global South urban leadership through South-South and triangular cooperation, and PIB said it strengthened the Local Government and Municipal Administration (LGMA) constituency's long-standing advocacy for recognising subnational contributions through enhanced NDCs 3.0.
Check yourself: when and where was the first ARISE Cities Forum held, and to which COP's Presidency was its Delhi Declaration to be handed over?
New Delhi, 8-9 October 2025; the COP30 Presidency in Belém.
Revision task: from this release, note the Forum's edition, venue and dates, its organisers, the number of participants, cities and countries, its theme, the date the Declaration was adopted and to whom it was handed over, where COP31 will be held, the number of shared commitments and why 2026 is called a 'Triple COP' year; from the note, the first Forum's dates, co-hosts and participation, and where its Declaration was taken.
Test yourself
According to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Delhi Declaration 2026, adopted at the ARISE Cities Forum in New Delhi on 28 October 2026, will travel to COP31 in which city?
Show the answer
Answer: Antalya
The ARISE Cities Forum 2026, held at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, on 27-28 October 2026 and themed 'From Bharat to Antalya - Commit. Implement. Deliver', closed with the adoption of the Delhi Declaration on Local Action for Global Climate Goals and its formal handover to ICLEI Secretary General Gino Van Begin. The collective ambition of the Global South's cities and local governments articulated in the Declaration will now travel to COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye.
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