ICLEI Southeast Asia Secretariat

What ICLEI Southeast Asia Secretariat does

ICLEI Southeast Asia Secretariat (ICLEI SEAS) is the regional arm of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability e.V., a global non-profit association headquartered in Bonn, Germany. Established in 1999 in Manila, Philippines, ICLEI SEAS functions as a membership-based network organization serving local and regional governments across Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. It operates from a headquarters in Quezon City, Philippines and a regional office in Jakarta, Indonesia (established 2013), and is led by Regional Director Victorino Aquitania.

ICLEI SEAS does not sell commercial products. Instead, it delivers a portfolio of methodologies, toolkits, projects, and publications across sustainable urban development themes: climate resilience, renewable energy transition, active mobility, biodiversity, and inclusive (GEDSI) climate planning. Core offerings include the SPARK Walkability and Cyclability Assessment Methodology, the RENEW-SEA renewable energy project, the SIRA socially inclusive resilience project (under UK Aid/CLARE), the CitiesWithNature Action Platform (recognized under CBD Decision 15/12), the Urban Heat Risk Management Resource Package, and the 100% Renewables Roadmap series. These knowledge products are delivered through capacity-building programs, technical assistance, peer exchange, and direct project implementation.

The organization is funded by a mix of membership dues, grants from international donors (German Federal Ministries BMWK and BMUV via the International Climate Initiative, UK Aid/FCDO via the CLARE Programme, the European Union), and partnerships with national agencies, research institutions, and NGOs. ICLEI SEAS reports 160+ partnerships and 60+ transformative projects cumulatively. Its customer base is exclusively governmental and intergovernmental, including large city and provincial engagements such as DKI Jakarta (196 government buildings, 4.765 MW rooftop solar PV), Special Region of Yogyakarta (6.19 MWp), Central Java Province (71 MW across 866 units), and Makati City (first Philippine LGU to run all public buildings on 100% renewable energy).

Name

ICLEI Southeast Asia Secretariat

Legal name

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability e.V.

Website

https://icleiseas.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ICLEI Southeast Asia Secretariat is the regional Manila-based arm of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability e.V., serving as a non-profit membership network for local and regional governments across six Southeast Asian countries, delivering methodologies, capacity-building, and donor-funded projects on climate resilience, renewable energy, active mobility, and biodiversity.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Urban Development and Local Government Capacity Building Services

NAICS

International Affairs (92812), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK), Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement (BPADALAO), International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)

Keywords

• Sustainable urban development
• Local government capacity building
• Climate resilience programs
• Renewable energy transition
• Active mobility planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Quezon

HQ country

Philippines

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Local and regional governments pay membership fees to join the ICLEI network and access resources, peer exchange, and capacity building support.
2. International Climate Initiative (IKI) Funding: Funding from German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV) supporting projects like SPARK and RENEW-SEA.
3. UK Aid / CLARE Programme Funding: Funding from UK Aid through the Foreign Commonwealth supporting climate adaptation and resilience programs including the SIRA project.
4. European Union Funding: EU-supported programs such as ASEP-CELLs (Access to Sustainable Energy Programme) providing sustainable energy initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ICLEI Southeast Asia Secretariat is a non-profit regional network organization that supports local and regional governments across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos through capacity building, technical assistance, project implementation, and peer exchange on sustainable urban development. Its portfolio includes multi-year programs (SPARK, RENEW-SEA, SIRA), proprietary methodologies and toolkits (Walkability Assessment, Urban Heat Risk Management, 100% Renewables Roadmaps), and the CitiesWithNature Action Platform for biodiversity tracking. Activities are funded by membership dues and grants from international donors including Germany’s IKI, UK Aid, and the European Union.

Product overview

ICLEI Southeast Asia Secretariat operates as a sustainability network organization rather than a traditional software product company. It does not offer a unified platform with integrated modules. Instead, its portfolio consists of multiple distinct programs, projects, publications, and methodological tools focused on sustainable urban development. Key offerings include: the SPARK Project and Walkability and Cyclability Assessment Methodology for active mobility; the RENEW-SEA Project for renewable energy transition; the SIRA Project for socially inclusive resilience; the CitiesWithNature Action Platform for biodiversity commitments; and various publications including the 100% Renewables Case Study Series, Daring Cities Compendium, and Urban Heat Risk Management Resource Package. These offerings are distributed across thematic areas (climate resilience, renewable energy, active mobility, biodiversity) and are delivered as knowledge products, toolkits, and capacity-building programs rather than software products or APIs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SPARK Walkability and Cyclability Assessment Methodology Diagnostic methodology to assess walkability and cyclability at three levels — city, neighborhood, and specific site — designed for urban areas in the Global South and used by ICLEI SEAS member cities for active mobility planning.
• SPARK Project (Sparking Active Mobility Actions for Climate-Friendly Cities) Multi-year IKI-funded program developed in partnership with ICSC that supports model cities in demonstrating GHG reduction potential of active mobility, building safe and resilient transport systems, and promoting climate-friendly mobility behavior; implemented in Pasig City and Quezon City, Philippines.
• RENEW-SEA (Renewable Energy for Southeast Asia) Project Capacity-building project strengthening policy momentum, technical capacity, and advocacy for subnational governments in Indonesia and Malaysia to drive sustainable energy transition, including rooftop solar PV deployment and 100% Renewable Energy Roadmaps.
• SIRA Project (Enhancing Local Capacities in Socially Inclusive Resilience in Asia) Regional initiative implemented jointly by ICLEI South Asia and ICLEI Southeast Asia that fosters socially inclusive and climate-resilient local development through GEDSI mainstreaming and partnership with national agencies such as Indonesia's BNPB.
• CitiesWithNature Action Platform Online platform where cities can report and track progress on biodiversity commitments against the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework; recognized by the Convention on Biological Diversity as the official reporting channel.
• Urban Heat Risk Management Resource Package Comprehensive toolkit equipping local and national governments with practical resources to manage extreme urban heat risks as part of MCR2030 resilience programming.
• 100% Renewables Roadmap for West Nusa Tenggara Province-level comprehensive roadmap outlining the transition of West Nusa Tenggara to 100% renewable energy across electricity, cooling/heating, cooking, and transportation sectors by 2050.
• 100% Renewables Case Study Series Series of case studies and resources documenting 100% renewable energy transition pathways for local governments, including the West Nusa Tenggara 100% RE Transition case study.
• Daring Cities 2025 Compendium of Good Practices and Resources Knowledge compendium documenting good practices and resources related to sustainable urban development and climate resilience, supporting peer learning among member cities and practitioners.
• Local Government and Community-Driven Renewable Energy Solutions in the Philippines: Best Practice Examples Collection of best practice examples of renewable energy solutions initiated by local government units and communities in the Philippines, produced for the Albay RE Roadmap Project.

Quantifiable outcome

• 42 Malaysian local governments trained on sustainable public buildings through RENEW-SEA project
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, core and flagship.

• IPB University Centre for Climate Risk and Opportunity Management (CCROM-SEAP)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Research partner providing expertise on climate risk and opportunity management. Researcher I Putu Santika elaborates on data- and risk-based GEDSI approaches for inclusive climate policies.
• Indonesia National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Collaborating partner for the SIRA National Policy Dialogue and Capacity Strengthening Training in Indonesia. BNPB works with ICLEI on inclusive resilience and disaster risk reduction.
• Save the Children IndonesiasupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 October 2024Partner in climate adaptation and resilience initiatives, particularly in incorporating child-rights approaches within climate adaptation and disaster risk frameworks.
• Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Co-implementer of the SPARK Project alongside ICLEI. ICSC brings expertise in sustainable mobility and climate policy to the partnership, implementing tactical urbanism interventions in Quezon City and Pasig City.
• Association of Indonesian Municipalities (APEKSI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021National association of Indonesian municipalities collaborating on policy advocacy and peer learning for local government sustainability initiatives.
• Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021National government partner for RENEW-SEA project. MEMR provides policy direction on energy efficiency and renewable energy in government buildings sector.
• The Nature Conservancy (TNC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Founding partner of CitiesWithNature initiative alongside ICLEI and IUCN, launched at ICLEI World Congress 2018 in Montreal. The initiative serves as a platform for cities to commit to nature-positive development.
• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Founding partner of CitiesWithNature initiative alongside ICLEI and TNC. Recognized by Convention on Biological Diversity Decision 15/12 as the platform for cities to report biodiversity commitments.
• Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Supporting body for CitiesWithNature initiative. The Action Platform is recognized in CBD Decision 15/12 for cities to report on biodiversity commitments and national biodiversity strategies.
• Fraunhofer ISEcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2012Technical partner for West Nusa Tenggara 100% Renewable Energy Roadmap development. Fraunhofer ISE conducted energy modeling to evaluate feasibility of renewable energy targets.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Bloomberg Philanthropies' Cities Program (Aspen Global Cities Group / Bloomberg Cities Network): Philanthropy-funded initiative supporting city leadership on climate and sustainability; comparable to ICLEI SEAS in addressing Southeast Asian city capacity gaps through donor-funded programming, though its primary focus is global.

Direct peers

• United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG): Worldwide network of local and regional governments and city associations; comparable to ICLEI SEAS in aggregating city voices and delivering capacity-building programs, including in the Asia-Pacific region.
• C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group: Global network of cities focused on climate action and urban sustainability; directly comparable to ICLEI SEAS in serving Southeast Asian local governments on climate, energy, and mobility programs.
• Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy: International alliance of city leaders committed to climate and energy action; competes with ICLEI SEAS for Southeast Asian city memberships and donor-funded climate programming.
• The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Asia Pacific: Co-founder with ICLEI of the CitiesWithNature initiative; comparable in delivering nature-based solutions programming with Southeast Asian cities and serving as a flagship partner.
• Resilient Cities Network (R-Cities): Network of city Chief Resilience Officers and urban resilience practitioners; directly comparable to ICLEI SEAS's SIRA and disaster-risk programming and shares overlapping city members in Asia.
• IUCN Asia Regional Office: Co-founder of CitiesWithNature and conservation lead on biodiversity commitments in cities; directly comparable to ICLEI SEAS in engaging Southeast Asian local governments on biodiversity and nature-based programming.

Emerging players

• World Resources Institute (WRI) Ross Center for Sustainable Cities: Research-driven organization building evidence and tools for sustainable cities; comparable to ICLEI SEAS in producing methodologies and toolkits (e.g., on mobility, energy) targeting the same city audience.

Broad incumbents

• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ): German federal development agency implementing bilateral programs in Southeast Asia on climate, energy, and urban governance; comparable to ICLEI SEAS as both a partner and competitor for German-government climate funding.
• UN-Habitat: United Nations agency for sustainable urbanization; overlaps with ICLEI SEAS's sustainable urban development mandate and is a frequent collaborator/funding counterpart in Southeast Asia.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/ICLEISEAS
• Facebookfacebook.com/ICLEISEAsia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/icleiseas
• Instagraminstagram.com/iclei_indonesia
• Xx.com/icleiseas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ICLEI Southeast Asia Secretariat