Inspire citizens and policymakers alike toward meaningful climate action.
We will use communications and advocacy tools that draw from diverse voices to tell powerful stories, elevate the successes of cities and local governments – including mayors and local leaders – and use the alliance of partners as a collective platform to share insights between cities, across multiple levels of government, and with other sectors. Critically, we will call on national governments and international institutions to implement policy frameworks that broaden and deepen their ambition and the scope of their climate priorities and recognize the value of city climate action in the NDC implementation process- while delivering a socially equitable and just transition. Alliance-wide communications and advocacy efforts will support targeted, region-specific campaigns as well as constituencies in the urban context that are collectively founded upon a globally coherent strategy.
Our workstreams:
- Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnership (CHAMP): CHAMP is a commitment taken by national governments on a new way of working in partnership with their subnational governments, and in particular, on a new way of approaching the development and implementation of their next Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in time for COP30 in 2025.
- The Multilevel Climate Action Guide for Decision Makers: In partnership with the World Resources Institute, GCoM has released the Multilevel Climate Action Guide for Decision Makers, which builds on the latest insights and good practices from the Global Covenant of Mayors alliance centered on 3 recommendations that can catalyze climate-focused governance and action across levels of government. The recommendations are complemented by more than 100 case studies from around the world which are presented in the Multilevel Climate Governance Atlas.
- GCoM’s Gender and Inclusion Ambition: GCoM’s Gender and Inclusion (G&I) ambition maps out a continuum for mainstreaming gender and inclusion for GCoM and signatory cities. It guides both institutional and programmatic considerations by addressing needs and vulnerabilities as a minimum level of ambition; to interventions that will build individual assets, capabilities and opportunities; through to those that are more focused on structural transformation. This approach encourages proactive integration of gender and inclusion; helps raise the ambition of each programme GCoM and signatory cities support; supports activities that work towards transformative outcomes; and, plays a catalytic role in driving investments in infrastructure and cities that strive for structural transformation.
Playbook 1
The Multilevel Climate Action Playbook for Local and Regional Governments (1st edition) recommends key elements of an enabling environment that can weave climate ambition and action of local and regional governments into Party policy developments to accelerate vertically integrated NDC implementation and investment plans. The Playbook is intended to serve as an all-in-one resource for local and regional governments, with guidance for national governments, GCoM alliance partners and practitioners who aim to support multilevel collaboration.
Playbook 2
The 2nd edition of the Playbook is a guide that lays out the options for national, regional and local authorities from policy levers to institution-building, drawing on examples from national, regional and local level of both mitigation and adaptation. It emphasizes the multi-actor, multilevel areas for action that bring together national, regional and local governments with civil society, local and indigenous communities, researchers and businesses. It also highlights connections with ongoing policy and program development for climate, sustainable development, urban development and biodiversity.
WRI Ross Center for Cities (WRI)
Multilevel Climate Action Guide Guide & Atlas for Decision Makers
Building on the latest insights and good practices from the Global Covenant of Mayors alliance the Multilevel Climate Action Guide for Decision-makers highlights three recommendations that can catalyze governance and action across levels of government. It also features 5 key enablers for coordinated action across levels of government: vertical and horizontal collaboration, multi-actor capacity, unlocking finance, accelerating research and innovation, and civil society & civic engagement. These enablers, driven by evidence found through the Multilevel Climate Action Playbooks, can help local, regional, and national governments realize the three overarching recommendations. The recommendations are also accompanied by more than 100 examples, presented in the Multi-level Governance Atlas.
COP28 Presidency developed with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies
Supported by C40 Cities, the Global Covenant of Mayors, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, High Level Climate Champions, NDC Partnership, UN-Habitat, Under2 Coalition, UCLG, University of Maryland, and WRI – Ross Center
Coalition For High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP)
CHAMP is a coalition of national governments comitted to consulting and collaborating with their subnational governments ni the design, financing and implementation of climate action, in particular to involve them and reflect their priorities in their next Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) due by for COP30 in 2025.
C40 Cities, CDP, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM), ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), Resilient Cities Network, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the World Resources Institute (WRI)
Cities Race to Zero
Cities Race to Zero is the official partner of the UN-backed Race to Zero campaign offering cities and local governments of all size a single entry-point to join this global effort to halve global emissions by 2030 and deliver a healthier, fairer zero carbon world in time..
C40 Cities, CDP, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM), ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), Resilient Cities Network, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the World Resources Institute (WRI)
Cities Race to Resilience
Race to Resilience is a sibling campaign of Cities Race to Zero, launched by the High-Level Climate Champions and designed to catalyse a step-change in global ambition to build the resilience of 4 billion people by 2030.
C40 Cities, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)
Urban20 (U20)
The U20 aims at facilitating lasting engagement between the G20 and cities, raise the profile of urban issues in the G20 agenda, and establish a forum for cities to develop a collective message and perspective to inform G20 negotiations
C40 Cities, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)
Gender and Inclusion Ambition
GCoM’s Gender and Inclusion (G&I) ambition maps out a continuum for mainstreaming gender and inclusion for GCoM and signatory cities. It guides both institutional and programmatic considerations by addressing needs and vulnerabilities as a minimum level of ambition; to interventions that will build individual assets, capabilities and opportunities; through to those that are more focused on structural transformation. This approach encourages proactive integration of gender and inclusion; helps raise the ambition of each programme GCoM and signatory cities support; supports activities that work towards transformative outcomes; and, plays a catalytic role in driving investments in infrastructure and cities that strive for structural transformation.