The ambitious, inclusive and multilevel outcomes of COP28 in Dubai in November 2023 have already started to generate momentum in the global climate action and advocacy regime.
This March edition of the LGMA Monthly Bulletin has specific highlights of the strategic meetings in particular in Nairobi, Paris and Copenhagen in the first quarter of 2024 that enabled Ministers to reflect on their initial efforts in the implementation of the COP28 UAE Consensus. Through its active engagement in all these processes, the LGMA Constituency highlighted Ministers the opportunities through multilevel action and sustainable urbanization, perceived through the Global Stocktake Decision para. 161 and other relevant provisions and the CHAMP Initiative.
Hosted by Denmark in collaboration with the COP Presidencies of the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan, the 2024 Copenhagen Climate Ministerial brought together ministers from 40 countries and Constituency representatives to discuss priorities leading up to COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Aalborg Deputy Mayor Anna Aaen represented the LGMA Constituency, discussing priorities leading up to COP29. She highlighted the COP28 UAE Consensus, which urges Parties to embed multilevel action in the new national climate plans (NDCs 3.0) that will be presented by 2025, as well as the CHAMP Initiative, an important mechanism to facilitate this goal. Along the margins of the meeting, UNFCCC Constituency representatives had their first joint official interaction with COP28 President, COP29 President Designate and COP29 High-Level Climate Champion.
COP28 High-Level Climate Action Champion report released
COP28 High Level Climate Ambition Champion Razan Al Mubarak released her report of activities at COP28, highlighting the pivotal role of nature in addressing climate change as the central theme. Among numerous efforts, the report highlights launch of the Urban Nature Programme by the Global Platform for Sustainable Cities, Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP), Buildings Breakthrough and Sharm El Sheikh Adaptation Programme as the most relevant initiatives for multilevel action and sustainable urbanization.
UN-Habitat's brief highlights progress on urban components of NDCs
Despite growing support for multilevel governance, a recent analysis reveals just 27% of NDCs prioritize urban content. Even over 70% of those from CHAMP-endorsing countries lack strong urban focus, highlighting a gap between the imperative for multilevel action and its representation in NDCs. In addition, this UN-Habitat publication, supported by the LGMA Constituency, reveals countries with greater urbanization levels tend to have lower urban focus in their NDCs. Dive into the report to discover where your country stands and see the opportunities to strengthen multilevel governance.
UNEA-6 on the triple emergencies of climate, nature, pollution
The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) is convened biennially by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, Kenya. UNEA-6 in 2024 focused on multilateral efforts addressing triple emergencies on climate, nature and pollution. Through the 3rd Cities and Regions Summit hosted by UNEP as a UNEA-6 associated event as well as numerous interactions at the negotiations and side events of the Assembly, the Local Authorities Major Group highlighted importance of safeguarding environmental integrity of global sustainability through multilevel action. Read more in our blog.
Along UNEA-6 in Nairobi, an informal meeting on the progress of the COP28 CHAMP initiative for multilevel climate action was hosted by the COP28 Presidency in collaboration with UNEP, UN-Habitat, and ICLEI as the LGMA focal point. Representatives from governments including Bangladesh, Canada, Germany, and Italy, along with Quebec, participated in the discussion.
The first-ever Buildings and Climate Global Forum was convened by the Government of France and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction as a response to the announcement of the Breakthrough Agenda at COP28. The Forum concluded with the Chaillot Declaration by Ministers which received inputs from the Local Leaders Roundtable.
Led by Yunus Arikan, ICLEI’s Director of Global Advocacy, these monthly webinars provide tailored content to support local governments in advocacy efforts and preparation for COP29. Join at 10:00 and 16:00 CE(S)T each month. See last month’s recording and presentation.
We welcomed numerous paragraphs in the COP28 Consensus, the CHAMP Initiative, and recognition of the LGMA's critical role in the first global stocktake. These achievements were driven by local stocktakes, Parties submissions and outcomes of various intergovernmental processes. The LGMA underlined para. 161 of the COP28 stocktake decision urging Parties for multilevel action, delivery of CHAMP, and innovative Town-Hall-COPs as 3 priorities towards COP30, as well as underlining the need to connect these to the UN Summit of the Future.
The fifth iteration of the annual event co-convened by ICLEI and the Federal City of Bonn, it's a pivotal platform for advancing multilevel and collective climate action by exploring a holistic and integrated approach to tackling the climate emergency. Watch the kickoff webinar on how urban leaders can leverage COP28's outcomes to drive climate emergency action.
PLATFORMA/CEMR and UCLG learning recently organised online a free “Climate Academy: Online training on Adaptation and Mitigation for Locally Elected Representatives” joined by almost 100 participants worldwide. Watch the recordings for day 1 and day 2.
Conducted by experts from NAP Global Network and Regions4, this webinar explored major trends and developments in multilevel governance and vertical integration of adaptation, from progress on the linkages between national and subnational governance in National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes, to what COP28 meant for multilevel governance of adaptation.
The Declaration asks the European Commission to update and increase the ambition of its policies beyond its 2021 Adaptation Strategy. It is designed by non-state actors gathered at the Climate Chance Europe 2024 Wallonia Summit, organised as part of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
