From October 5-15, Our Cities, Our Climate: A U.S. Department of State and Bloomberg Philanthropies Partnership, will bring together 17 urban sustainability directors from around the world for an international exchange to highlight and advance city climate action.

Participants will travel to San Francisco, Austin, and Washington, D.C., where they will meet with U.S. leaders in the sustainability field, participate in briefings and site visits focused on specific climate mitigation and adaptation challenges, and learn from each other through interactive brainstorming and problem-solving sessions. The program aims to strengthen dialogue and collaboration between U.S. and international cities, arm them with the tools to meet their climate goals, and encourage ambitious target-setting and the adoption of climate-related best practices at the subnational level, in partnership with national governments.

In Austin, the participants will also have the opportunity to share more about the exchange program with SXSW Eco attendees during an October 11 panel featuring U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Dr. Jonathan Pershing, Austin Mayor Steve Adler, and Antha Williams, head of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Environment program.

Our Cities, Our Climate leverages city leadership by convening an international conversation for global sustainability directors – along with U.S. officials and organizations – to share experiences, discuss solutions, and ultimately accelerate the progress the world’s cities are making to address climate change. The 2016 agenda builds on last year’s inaugural exchange, which contributed to momentum for climate action in the final weeks leading up to the UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP 21) and the adoption of the historic Paris Agreement. It also advances the Sustainable Development Goals.

The sustainability directors are traveling on an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) and will arrive from: Adelaide, Australia; Cairo, Egypt; Cape Town, South Africa; Cartagena, Colombia; Chengdu, China; Delhi, India; Istanbul, Turkey; Karachi, Pakistan; Lima, Peru; Marrakesh, Morocco; Montreal, Canada; Nairobi, Kenya; Paris, France; Quezon City, Philippines; Santiago, Chile; Shanghai, China; and Warsaw, Poland.

Follow #Cities4Climate to learn more about the program. For more information, please contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at eca-press@state.gov.