ICLEI East Asia Secretariat

What ICLEI East Asia Secretariat does

ICLEI East Asia Secretariat is the Seoul-based regional coordination office of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, a global network of more than 2,500 local and regional governments active in 125+ countries and representing over 25% of the global urban population. Established in 2012 and hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Secretariat supports 100+ member jurisdictions across the Greater China Region, Japan, Korea, and Mongolia, and has expanded its mandate to include Uzbekistan. It is not a technology company; it is a membership-based, non-profit policy and capacity-building organization that delivers peer exchange, technical consulting, training, and knowledge platforms under ICLEI's "Five Pathways" framework (low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient, and circular development).

Its core offerings include the East Asia Carbon Neutral Cities Accelerator, the East Asia Clean Air Cities Network, the Green Circular Cities Coalition, the CityFood flagship program, UrbanShift (a GEF-7 funded multi-region initiative), the Seoul-Beijing Bilateral Cooperation Research, and the Urban Rural Assembly project in Huangyan-Taizhou, China. Programs are delivered through the Seoul headquarters and country offices in Beijing (opened March 2018 with Beijing Municipal Government support), Tokyo, Goyang-si (Korea), and the Kaohsiung Capacity Center in Taiwan. Knowledge dissemination is supported through annual reports, case studies, newsletters, and project reports published in multiple languages.

The business model is subscription/membership-based: local and regional government members pay annual fees scaled to GNI/GNP per capita and population, supplemented by grants and project-based funding from host governments and multilateral partners (UNEP, UN-Habitat, UNDRR, GCoM, CDP, Ellen MacArthur Foundation). ICLEI's distinguishing position is its unique accreditation as an observer to all three UN Rio conventions (UNFCCC, CBD, UNCCD) and its special consultative status at ECOSOC, making it the only subnational network with such multilateral access. Revenue is not publicly disclosed and the entity has no venture funding, M&A history, or public-market listing.

Name

ICLEI East Asia Secretariat

Legal name

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability

Website

https://eastasia.iclei.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ICLEI East Asia Secretariat is the Seoul-based regional coordination office of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, a global network of 2,500+ member local and regional governments. It delivers peer exchange, capacity building, and sustainability advisory services to 100+ member jurisdictions across Greater China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, and Uzbekistan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability Consulting Services for Local Governments

NAICS

International Affairs (928120), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Multilateral Diplomacy & International Representation (UN, Regional Bodies) (BPAIAIAC), Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels (BPADANAB), Climate & Emissions Data Management (Data Lake, Integration, APIs) (EUABAEAC)

Keywords

• Sustainable urban development
• Local government network
• Climate action consulting
• Capacity building services
• Environmental policy advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: ICLEI Members contribute annual fees based on Gross National Income or Gross National Product per capita and population of the member jurisdiction. These fees form the core operational revenue of the network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ICLEI East Asia Secretariat operates as a regional membership network for local and regional governments across the Greater China Region, Japan, Korea, and Mongolia, delivering capacity building, peer exchange, technical consulting, training, and knowledge-sharing services to advance sustainable urban development. It coordinates regional programs such as the East Asia Carbon Neutral Cities Accelerator, the East Asia Clean Air Cities Network, the Green Circular Cities Coalition, CityFood, UrbanShift, the Seoul-Beijing Bilateral Cooperation Research, and the Urban Rural Assembly project. Members gain access to technical experts, peer networks, global forums (e.g., UNFCCC COP, CBD COP), and tools such as the carbonn Climate Registry for climate data reporting.

Product overview

ICLEI East Asia Secretariat is a regional coordination office of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, a global network of more than 2,500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. The organization does not operate a traditional product business; instead, it provides sustainable urban development support services to member local governments through a global network spanning 125+ countries. Services include capacity building, peer exchange, knowledge sharing, technical consulting, training, and the coordination of regional and local programs and exchange platforms. Key regional initiatives and programs include the East Asia Carbon Neutral Cities Accelerator, the East Asia Clean Air Cities Network, the Green Circular Cities Coalition, the CityFood flagship program, UrbanShift, the Seoul-Beijing Bilateral Cooperation Research, and the Rural-Urban Assembly project. The organization publishes annual reports, case studies, newsletters, and project reports as part of its knowledge dissemination offering. ICLEI East Asia supports member cities in Greater China, Japan, Korea, and Mongolia, operating from the East Asia Secretariat in Seoul (established 2012) and a Beijing Representation Office (opened March 2018).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ICLEI Malmö Commitment and Strategic Vision: Strategic vision document guiding the ICLEI network's work on sustainable urban development from 2021-2027
• Five Pathways

Products and services

• ICLEI Membership for Local and Regional Governments Annual subscription membership for local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development, providing access to the ICLEI peer network, technical experts, capacity building, knowledge platforms, and global forums such as UNFCCC COP, CBD COP, and UNCCD COP. Membership fees are scaled by Gross National Income / Gross National Product per capita and population.
• East Asia Capacity Building Program

Named customers21 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Beijing Municipal GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2018The Beijing Municipal Government supported the opening of the ICLEI Beijing Representation Office in March 2018 to support Chinese local governments in building low-carbon, resilient, and environmentally friendly cities.
• Ellen MacArthur FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICLEI East Asia partners with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to accelerate the circular economy in China. The partnership supports Chinese local governments in developing circular economic models and sharing best practices.
• Seoul Metropolitan GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Seoul Metropolitan Government hosts the ICLEI East Asia Secretariat. The partnership enables regional coordination of sustainable urban development programs for member cities in East Asia.
• UN Environment (UNEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICLEI holds partnership agreements with UNEP and participates in meetings with high-level decision-making bodies and technical sessions that facilitate knowledge sharing and capacity development.
• UN-HabitatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICLEI has a formal partnership agreement with UN-Habitat to advance sustainable urban development through joint advocacy and technical cooperation.
• UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICLEI collaborates with UNDRR on disaster risk reduction and urban resilience initiatives as part of its global advocacy and technical programs.
• Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICLEI is a founding partner of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy and works to strengthen evidence showing how local governments advance the global sustainable development agenda. ICLEI manages the carbonn Center, GCoM's official data reporting platform, together with CDP.
• Global Taskforce of Local and Regional GovernmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICLEI is a member of the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments, working to position local and regional governments as influential actors in international forums and processes.
• CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICLEI partners with CDP to manage the carbonn Center, the official data reporting platform of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy.
• Seoul Metropolitan GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICLEI East Asia Secretariat is hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and collaborates on the Seoul International Forum on Climate and Environment and other climate initiatives.
• UrbanShiftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerICLEI East Asia participates in the UrbanShift project which supports cities in Asia, Africa, and Latin America to achieve integrated urban development for a sustainable and inclusive future.
• CityFood ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerICLEI's flagship program on sustainable food systems, involving multiple regional offices and global and regional partners to build resilient food futures.
• Urban Rural Assembly (URA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerICLEI East Asia manages the Urban Rural Assembly project, which focuses on sustainable and inclusive transition of urban and rural environments in the Huangyan-Taizhou region of China.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme): Adjacent peer — UN agency mandated to promote socially and environmentally sustainable cities. ICLEI holds a formal partnership agreement with UN-Habitat and both serve the same municipal-government audience on sustainable urban development, though UN-Habitat operates under a UN mandate rather than a membership model.
• World Resources Institute (WRI): Adjacent peer — global research organization that works extensively on urban sustainability and climate, including through initiatives like WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities. Comparable in serving cities with data, tools, and policy guidance, though as a think tank rather than a member network.
• ICLEI World Secretariat: Global parent network of ICLEI East Asia Secretariat. Both are membership-based organizations serving local governments on sustainable urban development, with ICLEI East Asia operating as the regional coordination arm for East Asia.

Direct peers

• C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group: Direct peer — global network of major cities focused on climate action. Competes for the same municipal-government membership and convening role on urban sustainability, with a larger brand and more capital-intensive programmatic model.
• United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG): Direct peer — world organization of local and regional governments representing cities, towns, and regions globally. Both organizations serve as advocacy platforms for local governments at international forums, including co-coordinating through the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments.
• Resilient Cities Network: Direct peer — city network originally launched as 100 Resilient Cities by the Rockefeller Foundation. Serves similar member-city audiences on urban resilience and climate adaptation, overlapping significantly with ICLEI's resilient development pathway.
• Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM): Direct peer — ICLEI is a founding partner of GCoM and co-manages the carbonn Center reporting platform with CDP. GCoM convenes cities on climate and energy commitments, overlapping directly with ICLEI's low-emission development pathway and member services.

Emerging players

• CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project): Adjacent peer — global environmental disclosure platform. ICLEI and CDP co-manage the carbonn Center, GCoM's official climate data reporting platform. Comparable in serving city-level climate data and disclosure needs, with CDP taking the lead on data architecture.
• UrbanShift (WRI/ICLEI/C40 consortium): Joint program — ICLEI East Asia is a regional partner in UrbanShift alongside WRI and C40, supporting integrated urban development across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Functions as a programmatic peer within the same multi-network consortium.

Others

• C40 Cities Knowledge Hub / Arup Partnership: Ecosystem peer — Arup provides technical consulting and engineering services to many city networks including C40 on urban sustainability projects. Comparable as a delivery partner for ICLEI's technical consulting and capacity-building offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iclei-east-asia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ICLEI East Asia Secretariat