2026 UN Climate Change Conference COP31

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.

The LGMA’s engagement at COP31 builds on a year of institutional consolidation, coordinated advocacy and multilevel mobilization. In the first months of 2026, the Constituency put in place a new governance structure, with a Steering Committee guiding strategy year-round and five thematic Working Groups covering adaptation, climate finance, communications, just transition, and loss and damage. More than 250 people now take part in LGMA governance, contributing thematic expertise, drafting the Constituency’s positions and representing local and subnational governments across negotiation tracks. Throughout the year, LGMA partners carried these priorities into global moments including the World Urban Forum in Baku, the UCLG World Congress, New York Climate Week and the UN Biodiversity COP17, while all-Constituency briefings kept members aligned between them.

At the mid-year climate negotiations SB64 in Bonn, the LGMA delivered interventions across the negotiation tracks, held a press conference on electrification and energy security, and made formal submissions on just transition, the fossil fuel transition roadmap, deforestation and food systems. Daring Cities 2026, held alongside the Bonn talks, brought local and regional leaders into direct exchange with the policy processes under negotiation and hosted the first open consultation on the Constituency’s position. Finally, the LGMA COP31 Position set out what local and subnational governments ask of Parties at COP31, and is opened for endorsement by networks worldwide.