nrg4SD

The Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development (nrg4SD) is a global network that solely represents regional governments (states, regions and provinces) in the fields of climate change, biodiversity and sustainable development, particularly following the mandates of the UN conventions and agendas.

nrg4SD was established in 2002, at the World Summit in Johannesburg, and today has over 50 members from 30 countries on 4 continents.

Mission

• To promote sustainable development at the level of regional governments around the Globe.
• To act as the global voice and representative of regional governments in the field of sustainable development.
• To seek a wider recognition at international level of the importance of regional governments towards sustainable development.
• To contribute to the elaboration and implementation of responsible and ambitious territorial policies, actions, tools and resources, adapted to the regional level.
• To encourage exchange of expertise, cooperative projects and partnerships among members, as well as between them and other major international stakeholders.
• To bring the voice of regional governments, often the level of government responsible for implementing policies adopted at the national and international level, to the table.

Working directly with the UN and the EU

Early since its creation, the Network has worked directly with and been accredited to several entities of the United Nations (UN), including the Environment Programme UNEP, the Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC and the Convention on Biological Diversity CBD. Thanks to the presence of its permanent Secretariat in Brussels (Belgium), nrg4SD works directly with the different institutions of the European Union (EU).

What we do

The nrg4SD acts as the voice of subnational governments at UN negotiations, European Union initiatives and global discussions on environmental and sustainable development affairs. The nrg4SD:

• Set-up cooperation projects and partnerships between its members (North-North, North-South and South-South).
• Promotes expertise exchange, capacity building and know-how transference.
• Advocates for recognition and engagement of subnational governments in the global agendas.

How we work

• The nrg4SD supports and co-funds expertise exchange, partnerships and cooperation projects between members and other international stakeholders.
• The nrg4SD holds numerous conferences and workshops and actively participates in international events.
• The nrg4SD is continuously promoting the leadership and innovative actions of members and creating visibility opportunities for them.
• The nrg4SD organizes thematic working groups and webinars to promote knowledge exchange and capacity building.
• The nrg4SD publishes papers, case studies and reports to systematize generated knowledge and promote sharing of information.
• The nrg4SD establishes partnerships with like-minded international organizations.