Antalya, Türkiye (11 November 2026) – The Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency formally handed over its COP31 Position to Australia, which holds the COP31 Presidency of Negotiations, at the high-level opening of the Multilevel Action Pavilion.
The session, “Closing the implementation gap: Multilevel climate action from Belém to Antalya to Addis Ababa,” was presented by ICLEI and the LGMA Constituency. It brought together mayors, ministers, networks and UN partners.
A position for delivery
Opening the session, Gino Van Begin, Secretary General of ICLEI, recalled that the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) no longer sees a path to 1.5°C without overshoot under current policies. “This COP cannot be a COP of promises. It must be a COP that delivers,” he said.
Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, ICLEI President and Mayor of Malmö, Sweden, then presented the Position’s six asks, endorsed by 80 networks of local, regional and subnational governments. The asks range from a permanent space for multilevel dialogue and a role in designing and delivering Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), to a just, locally led energy transition, direct access to climate finance, local data in the next Global Stocktake and a real role in the Action Agenda. “Our network is ready. What it needs is a place in the system,” she said.
The handover to Australia
Ariel Dekovic, LGMA Constituency Focal Point, handed the Position to Ingrid Lundberg, representing Australia’s COP31 Presidency of Negotiations.
“While climate agreements are negotiated internationally and national targets are set by governments, the implementation, and we all know this, happens in communities,” said Ms. Lundberg. “Many of the priorities highlighted in the Position resonate strongly with Australia’s own focus on implementation and delivery.”
She cited rooftop solar, now installed one in three Australian households, as national, state and local action working together. “This year, as President of Negotiations, Australia is committed to advancing discussions on just transition and ensuring that implementation supports both climate and development objectives,” she said.
On finance, she added: “It’s about how we make sure that the quantum of funds already available is getting into the hands of local communities faster, simpler and in a fairer way.”
She concluded that the COP31 Position “reinforces that message very clearly” and that “the experience, expertise and leadership of subnational governments is an essential part of that success.”
Leaders from every region
Mayors and regional leaders from Boulder, USA; Catalonia, Spain; Yeosu, Republic of Korea; and Eskişehir and Muğla, Türkiye, together with the European Committee of the Regions and the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye, shared how the asks apply on the ground.
“[Adaptation] may be negotiated globally, but it will be delivered locally,” said Kostas Bakoyannis, Chair of the ENVE Commission of the European Committee of the Regions, which is a member of the LGMA Steering Committee.
Partners from the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP) for Climate Action, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) also spoke. Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, told participants: “Rest assured that your message is our message.” She committed to forwarding the Position to the COP31 Presidency and carrying its messages into the High-Level Dialogue on Urban Resilience, Adaptation and Climate Action on 12 November.
