ICLEI is the only local government network that is accredited as observer at the three Rio Conventions, namely UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) under which the Paris Agreement was adopted; the UN Convention on Biodiversity (CBD); and the UN Convention on Desertification (UNCCD).

ICLEI actively participates in the negotiation and implementation of international climate issues under these Conventions, representing the local and regional perspective.

The Paris Agreement is the continued formal recognition of the key role of local and sub-national governments in tackling climate change following the COP16 held in Cancun in 2010, where this was first achieved. The Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency at the UNFCCC, led by ICLEI as constituency focal point, have been instrumental in this achievement.