The Voice of Cities and Regions
in the UNFCCC Climate Process

The LGMA has served as the voice of cities and regions in global processes since were designated an official United Nations constituency group at the 1992 UN Earth Summit. We advocated for local governments at the first climate COP in 1995 and continue to achieve advocacy success for multilevel action across the climate, nature, and desertification agendas. Learn about our advocacy channels and get involved!

COP29 is quickly approaching, and the LGMA is preparing to bring the voices of local and other subnational governments to the global stage. Building off the successes of the past year, our constituency is focused ensuring that progress continues.

COP28 recognized the importance of multilevel action and the role of local and subnational governments in advancing global climate action. References to multilevel action in the UAE Consensus, and many other negotiated and non-negotiated outcomes, all signal a strong progress for the multilevel agenda.

Local and other subnational governments, however, remain concerned that the world is not on track to achieve the SDGs, risks overshooting the 1.5°C objective of the Paris Agreement, is failing to adapt to the changing climate, and that nature is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. The window of time until COP30 is the most consequential as Parties are working on new National Determined Contributions (NDCs) due in 2025.

The LGMA will be out in force at COP29, to advocate for our joint positions and ensure that we defend against climate breakdown and keep multilateralism alive.

In 2024, the global climate agenda is at a critical juncture following the outcomes of COP28, which have been described as the “beginning of the end” of the fossil fuel era. The stocktake at COP28 recognized the urgent need to cut global greenhouse gas emissions by 43% by 2030, compared to 2019 levels, to address the escalating climate crisis. It also “urged Parties and non-Party stakeholders to join efforts to accelerate delivery through inclusive, multilevel, gender-responsive and cooperative action” (paragraph 161).

2024 is set to be a ‘super year’ for sustainability as a whole, not just climate, with the coalescence of six major UN events: the three Rio Conventions (Biodiversity COP16, Climate COP29, and Desertification COP16), as well as the 6th UN Environment Assembly, the 12th World Urban Forum, and the UN Summit of the Future. Additionally, while 2023 was the warmest year on record, 2024 may see the 1.5-degree Celsius global warming threshold being temporarily exceeded. Against this backdrop, local and regional government representatives play a crucial role in advocating for and driving forward the global sustainability agenda, as they engage in a series of significant events throughout the year.

Launched at COP28, CHAMP focuses on enhancing multilevel governance to ensure that climate commitments are not only made at the national level but also effectively implemented through coordinated efforts at all levels.

It aims to drive more ambitious climate action by fostering collaboration between different levels of government, including national, regional, and local authorities, as well as non-state actors such as businesses and civil society.

By hosting annual mini-COPs, local and subnational governments, along with their citizens, can engage in climate action by turning their city halls and other local venues into COP-like platforms.

Piloted in 2023 as “local stocktakes,” Town Hall COPs have since become a way for local and subnational governments to assess their climate progress, share insights, and collaborate with national governments. Importantly, they help integrate local voices into global climate policies, particularly countries’ Paris Agreement plans, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

We need effective multi-level governance to transform cities. To achieve this vision, the COP27 Presidency has launched the SURGe Initiative with the objective to enhance and accelerate local and urban climate action through multi-level governance, engagement, and delivery through five integrated tracks, contributing to achieving the Paris Climate Goals and Sustainable Development Goals.

SURGe is developed in collaboration with UN-Habitat, facilitated by ICLEI, and endorsed by 70+ global partners.