Institutional Relations and Advocacy
Local Action for Climate Goals The “Global Roadmap for Action of Cities and Regions for Climate” of the Marrakech Roadmap for Action recommends that central government parties of the Paris Agreement, their financial instruments dedicated to sustainable development, and all agencies and programs of the United Nations system:
Local and regional governments have a long track record of innovating locally and collaborating internationally to tackle the causes and consequences of climate change, particularly since the launch of the Local Government Climate Roadmap in Bali in 2007. UCLG has worked within the framework of the Local Government Climate Roadmap, facilitated by ICLEI, to enhance the influence of members in the international negotiation process through two key strategies: enhancing the formal role of local authorities in the negotiation process and developing the partnership between local authorities and civil society. After COP 21 and the Climate Summit of Local Leaders in Paris, where a strong presence of local and regional governments showcased the huge potential of our constituency to implement practical solutions to mitigate and adapt to climate change, UCLG increased its advocacy work to broaden the
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debate beyond climate adaptation and mitigation. By including the social and human rights aspects of global sustainability, it has focused its efforts on calling for the local level to be recognized as the most appropriate level to tackle climate change, which is not about technical solutions, but making choices about the type of development model we need. This, in turn, implies learning to adapt to environmental challenges, and developing sound governance mechanisms to put citizens’ needs at the heart of all we do. With the entry into force of the Paris Climate Agreement, UCLG actively contributed to the Climate Summit for Local and Regional Leaders, held in the presence of the major regional and international networks of cities and local and regional authorities in the framework of COP 22 in Morocco. Its outcome document, the Marrakech Roadmap for Action, calls for a global action framework towards localizing climate finance.
www.uclg.org
» Strengthen the capacity of local and regional governments to take action, and support the process of project preparation and their funding. » Integrate the local and regional dimensions in the ongoing transformation of the global financial ecosystem. » Support capitalization, the transfer of knowledge and practices, and access to available funding sources and their engineering.
UCLG, as the largest network of local and regional governments, continues to support the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. This coalition, resulting from the merger of Compact of Mayors and European Covenant of Mayors, is the largest initiative for the reduction of local greenhouse gas emissions, which aims to enhance resilience to climate change and track its progress transparently.