Every COP cycle asks the same question of the LGMA Constituency: can local and subnational governments show up as one coordinated voice, with a position that is sharp, evidenced, and ready to move? This year, the answer is yes, and the work to get there is already underway.
Over the next two months, the LGMA Constituency is running one of its most structured lead-ups yet to a COP: a process built to turn the lived experience of cities, regions and municipalities — the governments already delivering 70–80% of Paris Agreement action on the ground — into a negotiating position that Parties, the UNFCCC Secretariat and COP31 Presidencies cannot ignore.
September: from draft to endorsed position
September is where the Constituency’s position gets tested, sharpened and owned.
- 14–24 September — The full Constituency is invited into an open consultation on the Position and each Working Group’s contributions, a chance for every member to shape the asks before they’re locked in.
- 17 September — A packed day: the Steering Committee meets (Principals invited), and an all-Constituency briefing and webinar walks through the Working Groups’ input and moves toward endorsement of the Position. At this webinar, we’ll also present a draft engagement plan, how the Constituency intends to show up, together, across the COP31 process.
- 24–26 September — Final drafting and sign-off of all COP31 Position documents.
- 28 September – 5 October — The Position opens for formal Constituency endorsement.
By early October, the LGMA Constituency will have something it can stand behind collectively: a position grounded in six clear asks; subnational delivery on the 1.5°C pathway, real representation in the Just Transition Mechanism, multilevel climate finance reaching local governments directly, the evidentiary weight of the IPCC’s forthcoming Special Report on Climate Change and Cities, a dedicated joint space for Parties and subnational governments to tackle implementation barriers, and stronger alignment of the Global Goal on Adaptation with local action.
October: taking the position on the road
With an endorsed Position in hand, October is about building momentum and readiness in the room. In October, the Constituency will gather in the Pacific for the Pre-COP31 Fiji/Tuvalu event, brief and equip its spokespeople, hold its next Steering Committee meeting, run an all-Constituency COP31 preview briefing, and step into public view with a press briefing ahead of the negotiations. Each of these moments is designed to ensure that when COP31 opens, the Constituency’s voice is consistent, confident and ready, in the negotiating rooms and in the media.
November: COP31
COP31 begins on 9 November, backed by an Australia–Türkiye Presidency partnership that has signaled real interest in multilevel action. The Constituency will carry its endorsed Position into every relevant space — from the Global Implementation Accelerator and the Veredas Dialogue to the Climate Finance Work Programme and the Second Global Stocktake — and will hold a press conference to make the case publicly: that the Paris Agreement will only be delivered through the engagement of all levels of government.
Why this matters
This is more than a calendar of meetings. It’s evidence of something the Constituency has been building for years: the ability to take the enormous diversity of local government experience — from the Pacific to the Global South to major metropolitan regions — and turn it into one evidenced, negotiation-ready position, on a timeline that keeps pace with the UNFCCC process itself.
Cities and regions endorsing CHAMP could close 37% of the gap between current NDCs and a Paris-aligned trajectory. That’s not a talking point but a delivery capacity that the multilateral system still hasn’t fully mobilized. Between now and COP31, the LGMA Constituency is doing the work to change that: consulting widely, drafting rigorously, and showing up together.
Watch this space for the draft engagement plan and further updates as the Position moves toward endorsement.
