Group of Brazilian subnational actors gathers after Bonn Conference to strengthen contributions to the COP30 Action Agenda
On July 11, 2025, ICLEI South America hosted the third working meeting of the National Coordination Group of the LGMA (Local Governments and Municipal Authorities) Constituency for COP30. Held virtually, the meeting solidified the group as the main channel of coordination between Brazilian subnational government networks and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process, through the Global LGMA, at a decisive moment in the preparatory process leading up to COP30 in Belém.
Just weeks after the conclusion of the 62nd session of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SB62) in Bonn—marked by deadlocks on finance, adaptation, and just transition—the meeting was a concrete response to the need to strengthen multilateralism from the ground up. While the negotiation rooms revealed geopolitical obstacles and low levels of trust among parties, the LGMA constituency, both globally and in its Brazilian chapter, reaffirmed the potential of subnational governments as catalysts for implementation and for climate legitimacy within the COP process.
Urban Agenda as a Key to Strengthening the Implementation of Global Agreements
The meeting featured the participation of Philip Yang, COP30 Special Envoy for Urban Solutions, who emphasized the importance of the current political and institutional moment. For him, COP30 could mark a turning point for the urban and subnational agenda to be normatively embedded in the UNFCCC architecture. “Cities have both intrinsic and extrinsic merit in the climate agenda. Belém could be the moment when this centrality translates into action and official recognition,” he stated.
Yang reiterated his commitment to serve as a bridge for subnational network contributions to the COP30 Presidency and warned of the risks of setbacks in multilateralism. He also advocated for building convergence between cities from the Global North and South and reiterated the need to ensure genuine channels of influence for local governments in the Conference’s decision-making process.
Focus on Implementation: COP30 Presidency Addresses Action Agenda and Territorial Convergence
One of the main highlights of the meeting was a deep dive into the COP30 Action Agenda, presented through the 4th Letter from the Brazilian Presidency of the Conference, launched during SB62 in Bonn. The document consolidates the political vision of the Presidency by proposing that COP30 serve as a milestone for implementation, linking global climate ambition with concrete territorial solutions.
The letter calls on all sectors—public and private, national and subnational—to join a true global collective effort, guided by the Global Stocktake (GST) and understood as a “Globally Determined Contribution” (GDC). This collective mobilization aims to accelerate the delivery of the commitments made under the Paris Agreement, through a convergent effort involving climate action, sustainable development, and social justice.
Structured around six thematic pillars, the Agenda aims to catalyze solutions in the fields of energy transition, biodiversity protection, food system transformation, urban and water resilience, social justice, and means of implementation such as finance, technology, and capacity building. Among these, Pillar 4—which addresses resilience building in cities, infrastructure, and water—was highlighted by participants as a strategic entry point for subnational government engagement, as it explicitly recognizes the role of cities and urban infrastructure as pillars of climate adaptation.
During the meeting, Bárbara Godoy, from the COP30 Presidency’s Special Advisory Team, presented the 30 objectives of the Action Agenda and emphasized how subnational governments can directly contribute to achieving these goals, with a focus on replicable solutions, voluntary commitments, and integration across different levels of government.
Federal Government Contributions to the Subnational Agenda on the Road to COP30
The meeting also featured the participation of Adalberto Maluf, National Secretary for Urban Environment and Environmental Quality at the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, and Ambassador Antônio da Costa, Head of the International Advisory Office at the Ministry of Cities. Both presented ongoing initiatives that directly align with the priority themes of COP30, with special emphasis on the Green and Resilient Cities Program.
This interministerial initiative aims to strengthen municipal capacities for sustainable urban planning, addressing climate vulnerabilities, and incorporating nature-based solutions. Through regional workshops, participatory processes, and an action plan under development, the program represents a concrete platform for operationalizing parts of the Action Agenda within Brazilian territory.
Ambassador Antônio da Costa also mentioned the organization of two ministerial meetings during COP30 that will focus on urban themes: one on urbanization and climate, now in its fourth edition and led by UN-Habitat, and—new this year—a ministerial meeting of the Intergovernmental Council on Buildings and Climate.
CHAMP Strategic Updates: Institutionalizing Multilevel Governance
During the LGMA meeting, Helinah Cardoso, Head of CHAMP (Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships) at GCoM and C40 in Brazil, provided an update on the coalition’s progress. She highlighted the growing global participation, with 76 signatory countries, and Brazil’s leadership in including subnational commitments in its NDC.
Four key messages for COP30 were also presented:
- Formal recognition of subnational climate action,
- Creation of an annual reporting mechanism for commitments,
- Strengthening of the Action Agenda through multilevel partnerships,
- Inclusion of subnational actors in the climate finance roadmap from Belém to Baku.
Finally, she stressed the importance of aligning subnational solutions with the COP Presidency’s upcoming platform, Accelerating Solutions.
Political Commitment and Concrete Action on the Road to Belém
More than a technical forum, the Brazilian LGMA National Coordination Group has become a strategic space for political coordination and the development of qualified proposals for the COP30 process. By promoting convergence among networks, governments, and institutional partners, the group actively contributes to strengthening multilevel climate governance in Brazil and positioning local territories as legitimate leaders in the global climate agenda.
With ICLEI South America serving as facilitator, the group will continue to act as a bridge between the local and the global, ensuring that COP30 reflects solutions rooted in territories, aligned with the realities of the population, and in line with the commitments of the Paris Agreement.
