Bangkok, Thailand – Representatives from sixteen cities and municipalities across Thailand joined the capacity building workshop organized by CDP Asia-Pacific in collaboration with the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM)–City Climate Finance Gap Fund Partnership to strengthen their capacity in preparing robust, finance-ready climate projects.

The workshop “Climate Disclosure for Resilient and Sustainable Cities: Building a Climate Finance Pipeline” held on 28 August 2025 brought together over 20 local representatives, alongside key national partners such as the City and Town Municipality Association (CTMA), Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP), Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization (TGO), Department of Climate Change and Environment (DCCE), UN-Habitat, and the World Bank.

Jazlyn Lee (Regional Engagement Lead for South and Southeast Asia) and Marvin Lagonera (City Advisor for South and Southeast Asia) from the GCoM-Gap Fund partnership shared an overview of the Gap Fund, and engaged cities in an interactive workshop to identify specific challenges and barriers during the project preparation stage for their prioritized projects.

Interactive Coaching for Preparing Project Concepts

Cities and municipalities that reported to the CDP-ICLEI Climate Disclosure platform showcased their project ideas and concepts and received bespoke technical guidance from the GCoM-Gap Fund Partnership team in conceptualizing, designing, and preparing project applications to the City Climate Finance Gap Fund and other project preparation facilities, such as the C40 Cities Finance Facility.

During the breakout group discussions, city representatives collaborated to map out priorities in the areas of waste management, flood resilience, renewable energy, and sustainable transport. Cities identified specific needs, such as technology assessment for waste management strategies, integration of drainage systems with city development plans, enhancing public transport through pre-feasibility studies and master planning, and cost-benefit analyses for solar photovoltaic and electric vehicle projects.

Representatives from Kalasin Town Municipality highlighted that “engaging with the Gap Fund, which promoted access to climate finance through workshops, helped local governments understand the key points of the Gap Fund’s focus on supporting early-stage project preparation”. 

The workshop fostered collaboration among Thai cities to identify common priorities for project preparation and promote financial aggregation. Representatives from Pakkret City Municipality highlighted that “inter-city cooperation in Thailand is crucial to achieving climate goals. It enables cities to share environmental knowledge, experiences, and technologies to jointly develop policies and measures tailored to their local contexts, and effectively mobilize resources and budgets for greenhouse gas reduction and disaster adaptation projects.”

The GCoM-Gap Fund Partnership team provided practical feedback to improve cities’ climate objectives and financing strategies.

Translating Disclosure Data Into Project Preparation Support

Karishma Kashyap, Associate Director for Cities, States, and Regions for the Asia Pacific at CDP, underscored how the collaboration between the GCoM-Gap Fund Partnership and CDP Asia Pacific on city climate finance is centred on leveraging CDP-ICLEI Track data to identify and support cities in developing finance-ready climate projects.

According to her, “by providing targeted technical assistance, capacity-building workshops, and direct support to cities, this partnership helps transform early-stage projects into robust project proposals aligned with climate action plans and national commitments, thereby bridging critical finance and capacity gaps for local climate action. This joint effort uniquely facilitates connections between cities and technical assistance providers, enabling more effective access to climate finance and advancing low-carbon, climate-resilient urban development.”

In collaboration with CDP Asia-Pacific, the GCoM–Gap Fund Partnership will deepen its engagement with Thai cities and municipalities, helping them move from climate data disclosure to tangible project preparation. Over the coming months, participating cities will draft and refine their expressions of interest to strengthen their readiness and alignment with the Gap Fund’s project preparation criteria.