Advocacy Outcomes

Cities and regions in the climate negotiation process

Advocating for local and regional governments in the climate negotiations process

While the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency has represented local and regional governments at the processes under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) since the first Conference of Parties (COP) in 1995, it was at the Earth Summit in 1992 that nine stakeholder groups, including local authorities, were designated as essential partners in society for the implementation of global sustainability agenda. Here are some of the outcomes of the advocacy agenda for cities and regions in that time.

cop21outcomes-5

Advocacy outcomes

Cities and regions have become important global players in the climate negotiations process.

COP27: Outcomes from Sharm El Sheikh 2022

COP27 puts loss-and-damage on the agenda, and in two firsts, the COP27 Presidency creates a Sustainable Urban Resilience for the Next Generation (SURGe) Initiative while a Climate & Urbanization Ministerial brings national urban ministers to a climate COP.

COP26: Outcomes from Glasgow 2021

During the Glasgow conference, all parties were focused on keeping the 1.5°C target alive through raising NDCs’ ambition. These are the specific references to the role of subnationals, including cities, towns and regions, in the outcomes of COP26.

Download the COP26 Cover Decision under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

  1. preamble – para.9: highlighting the urgent need for multilevel and cooperative action”
  2. Adaptation – para.8: Urges Parties to further integrate adaptation into local, national and regional planning;”
  3. Implementation – para 51: Encourages Parties to take an integrated approach to addressing the issues
    referred to in paragraph 50 [biodiversity] above in national and local policy and planning decisions;”
  4. Collaboration – para.53: Recognizes the importance of international collaboration on innovative climate
    action, including technological advancement, across all actors of society, sectors and regions, in contributing to
    progress towards the objective of the Convention and the goals of the Paris Agreement;”
  5. Collaboration – para. 55: Recognizes the important role of non-Party stakeholders, including civil society,
    indigenous peoples, local communities, youth, children, local and regional governments and other
    stakeholders, in contributing to progress towards the objective of the Convention and the goals of the Paris
    Agreement;”
  6. Collaboration – para. 56: Welcomes the improvement of the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action
    [with a link to the Improved MPGCA document as a footnote] for enhancing ambition, the leadership and
    actions of the high-level champions, and the work of the secretariat on the Non-state Actor Zone for Climate
    Action platform to support accountability and track progress of voluntary initiatives;”
  7. Collaboration – para. 64: Urges Parties and stakeholders to ensure meaningful youth participation and
    representation in multilateral, national and local decision-making processes, including under the Convention
    and the Paris Agreement;”
  8. Collaboration – para. 67: Expresses its recognition for the important role the observer organizations play,
    including the nine non-governmental organization constituencies, in sharing their knowledge, and their calls to
    see ambitious action to meet the objectives of the Convention and collaborating with Parties to that end;”

Paris Agreement CMA3 Cover Decision

Download the CMA3 Cover Decision under the Paris Agreement

  1. preamble – para.9 : highlighting the urgent need for multilevel and cooperative action”
  2. Adaptation – para.9: Urges Parties to further integrate adaptation into local, national and regional planning;”
  3. Implementation – para.77: Encourages the high-level champions to support the effective participation of nonParty stakeholders in the global stocktake;”
  4. Collaboration – para.53: Recognizes the importance of international collaboration on innovative climate
    action, including technological advancement, across all actors of society, sectors and regions, in contributing to
    progress towards the objective of the Convention and the goals of the Paris Agreement;”
    “Collaboration – para. 89: Recognizes the important role of non-Party stakeholders, including civil society,
    indigenous peoples, local communities, youth, children, local and regional governments and other
    stakeholders, in contributing to progress towards the objective of the Convention and the goals of the Paris
    Agreement;”
  5. Collaboration – para. 89: Welcomes the improvement of the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action
    [with a link to the Improved MPGCA document as a footnote] for enhancing ambition, the leadership and actions of the high-level champions, and the work of the secretariat on the Non-state Actor Zone for Climate
    Action platform to support accountability and track progress of voluntary initiatives;
  6. Collaboration – para. 92: Urges Parties and stakeholders to ensure meaningful youth participation and
    representation in multilateral, national and local decision-making processes, including under the Paris
    Agreement;”
  7. Collaboration – para. 94: Expresses its recognition of the important role the observer organizations play,
    including the nine non-governmental organization constituencies, in sharing their knowledge, and their calls to
    see ambitious action to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and in collaborating with Parties to that end”

Download the Paris Agreement Art.6.8 (Non-Market Approaches to Climate Finance)

  1. para.a: Recognizes the importance of integrated, holistic and balanced non-market approaches to enable voluntary cooperation being available to Parties to assist in the implementation of their nationally determined contributions, in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, in a coordinated and effective manner;”
  2. para.e: Encourages Parties, public and private sector stakeholders and civil society organizations to actively engage in the research, development and implementation of non-market approaches;”
  3. Annex – para.8.a.i.b – Identifying measures for enhancing existing linkages, creating synergies and facilitating coordination and implementation of NMAs, including in the local, subnational, national and global context;”
  4. Annex – para.8.b.ii.a – Replicate successful NMAs, including in the local, subnational, national and global context;”
  5. Annex- para.8.iii.b. – Mapping the initiatives, programmes and projects at the local, subnational and national level, including those that support Parties in meeting the requirements for receiving support and provide capacity-building for the implementation of NMAs.”

Download the Glasgow Work Programme for Action for Climate Empowerment

  1. Preamble para. 6: Reaffirming the key role that a broad range of stakeholders, such as national,
    regional and local governments, educational and cultural institutions, museums, the private sector,
    intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, international organizations,
    decision makers, scientists, the media, teachers, youth, women and indigenous peoples, play in
    ensuring Action for Climate Empowerment [education, training, public awareness, public
    participation, public access to information and international cooperation on climate change],”
  2. Preamble para. 9: Recognizing the importance of taking a long-term, strategic and country-driven
    approach to Action for Climate Empowerment at the local, national, regional and international level,
    including strengthening support for local, national and regional institutional and sectoral expertise
    and capacity for its implementation,”
  3. Annex – para.9.c: Inviting Parties and stakeholders to develop international, regional and national programmes and activities, including the preparation of training and education materials and tools, using local languages where applicable and practical.”
  4. Annex – para.10.b: Strengthen in-country coordination and institutional arrangements at different levels to avoid duplication of efforts, promote knowledge-sharing, foster local networks and enhance collaboration among all stakeholders in relation to ACE implementation.”
  5. Annex – para.11.b.ii: Facilitate partnerships & networking among Parties, intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, academia, the private sector, state & local governments & community-based organizations with the aim of jointly designing, implementing and evaluating ACE activities &policies”
  6. Annex – para.12: At the national level, Parties are encouraged to determine the most efficient and cost-effective way to implement ACE activities, and to develop funding instruments at the national level, where appropriate, to support such activities, in particular at the subnational and local level.”
  7. Annex – para.19: Parties and non-Party stakeholders are encouraged to collaborate on, promote, facilitate, develop and implement training programmes focused on climate change for groups with a key role in climate action, such as scientific, technical and managerial personnel, journalists, teachers and community leaders at the international, national, regional, subregional and local level, as appropriate. Technical skills and knowledge are required to adequately address and respond to climate change issues.”
  8. Annex – para.26.c: Train government officials from different ministries and departments, including those working in local government, on how climate change relates to their respective areas of work with a view to strengthening institutional and technical capacity.”
  9. Annex – para.28.e: Make national climate reports available in local languages for vulnerable communities, including people with special needs;
  10. Annex – para.28.f: Improve public access to information on climate change at the national & local level using a range of methods &tools, taking into account the different ways particular communities, groups &individuals, including women & children & youth, may be impacted by climate change.”
  11. Annex – para.29.e: Develop guidelines for enhancing public participation in climate change decision-making and the inclusion of children and youth, and for assisting local governments and the public in climate change decision-making.”
  12. Annex – para.30.a: Seek to enhance cooperation and coordination in developing and implementing ACE activities at the international and regional level. This includes identifying partners and building networks with other Parties, intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, the private sector, provincial and local governments, and community-based organizations. Parties should also promote and facilitate the exchange of information and materials and the sharing of experience & good practices;
  13. Annex – para.30.b: Promote and encourage regional programmes and projects developed by Parties, intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, the private sector, provincial and local governments, and community-based organizations that support the implementation of ACE and promote the sharing of experience, including through the dissemination of best practices and lessons learned and the exchange of information and data.”

COP25: Outcomes of Madrid 2019

During the Chilean COP held in Madrid, the focus was on building up the ambition for revised NDCs in 2020 (now 2021). Local governments showed their aligned actions and commitments to advance towards this important deadline.

COP24: 2018 Katowice enshrines Talanoa Dialogues

COP24 in Katowice invited Parties to consider the outcome, inputs and outputs of the Talanoa Dialogue in preparing their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and in their efforts to enhance pre-2020 implementation and ambition.

 

The LGMA brought the results of the Cities and Regions Talanoa Dialogues to COP24, the 24th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland. By demonstrating the momentum built by these dialogues, the LGMA made the case for these conversations to continue well beyond 2018, while highlighting replicable processes and outcomes that all levels of government can incorporate into climate policy.

COP23: Talanoa Dialogues of 2017

Cities and Regions Talanoa Dialogues were developed as a bottom-up, pro-active and immediate response to the COP23 decision in 2017 to convene year-long, inclusive Talanoa Dialogues.

 

Local and regional governments answered the call from the Fijian COP23 Presidency for open and inclusive dialogues and have implemented the Cities and Regions Talanoa Dialogues as a means to make multilevel governance a core component of climate action worldwide.

The Cities and Regions Talanoa Dialogues are a key focus of the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) constituency to the United Nations Frameworks Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). With ICLEI as its focal point, the LGMA aims to ensure that climate action is coordinated across all levels of government.

COP21: Paris Agreement recognizes the role of cities in 2015

On 12 December 2015, nations at COP21 adopted the landmark “Paris Agreement” that strives to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, with the intent to pursue a 1.5-degree target. Through this Agreement, local and subnational governments are recognized as essential actors in fast tracking transformative action in the urban world.

 

The Paris Agreement, in its preamble, recognized the importance of the engagement of all levels of government. The fact that 185 Parties out of the 197 Parties to the UNFCCC ratified the Paris Agreement established a strong indication of the momentum towards strengthening multilevel governance on climate action.

Climate advocacy for local and regional governments

We need multilevel climate action to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius and avoid the worst effects of climate change.

Cities play a decisive role in the global response to climate change. They are responsible for more than 70 percent of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions and are experiencing some of the worst effects of climate change. It is critical that national climate policy incorporates a strong urban component, and that all levels of government jointly shape, align and implement climate policy at all levels to harness the potential of our urban world.

Multilevel governance: A key component of national climate policy

Under the Paris Agreement, nations are expected to submit targets every five years, and to increase the level of ambition with each submission. With a multilevel governance approach, we can narrow the gap between current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the emissions reductions needed to achieve global targets.

We know from the IPCC Special Report on 1.5 Degrees that it is critical that we ratchet up global climate action as quickly as possible. By joining together and consolidating their commitments, all levels of government can progressively raise their commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change. The ultimate aim is to make multilevel governance a mainstream part of climate action.