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Strengthening municipal creditworthiness to finance urban climate action in African cities: Five lessons from South Africa
Secondary cities will drive Africa’s urban growth. Meeting the needs of this growth requires strong municipal finances and projects that are ready to attract investment. A webinar series in South Africa showed how to build both. Across Africa, local governments rely on national transfers for 58% of their budgets, and subnational debt is only about … read more

Open Call: Host the 2028 Innovate4Cities Conference

The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) and UN-Habitat invite expressions of interest to host the 2028 Innovate4Cities Conference (I4C28) by 4 November 2026. Cities and local governments are where the impacts of climate change are most acutely felt – and the epicenters of commitments turned into action. But cities cannot act … read more

Food Systems Emerge as a Climate Finance Priority at UCLG-MEWA Working Group Launch with the GCoM-Gap Fund Partnership
On July 28 and 29, local governments from across the Middle East and West Asia gathered in Konya, Türkiye for the UCLG-MEWA Forum on Innovation and Food Systems and the inaugural meeting of the UCLG-MEWA Working Group on Food and Agriculture, hosted by Selçuklu Municipality. The meeting brought together mayors, municipal leaders, international organisations, technical … read more

From Climate Ambition to Investment: The City Climate Gap Fund City Stories
What does the journey look like for a city turning climate ambition into a project that attracts investment? A new publication, Preparing the Ground for Climate Finance, from the Global Covenant of Mayors–Gap Fund Partnership is showcasing nine inspiring stories of cities turning climate ambition into tangible progress. The report highlights how cities are overcoming … read more

The 2026 Innovate4Cities Conference concludes in Nairobi with renewed commitment to turn urban climate knowledge into action

Nairobi, 25 June 2026 – The 2026 Innovate4Cities Conference (I4C26) concluded in Nairobi, Kenya, after four days of exchange, collaboration and partnership-building aimed at accelerating climate action in cities. Marking a historic first as the Conference landed on the African continent, I4C26 brought together city and national government leaders, researchers, practitioners, businesses, civil society, youth … read more

Market opportunities. Accelerating climate action in C40 and GCoM cities
A new C40 and Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) report finds that cities are emerging as powerful drivers of green market growth. Based on purchasing data from 151 cities worldwide, the research shows how local climate policies, infrastructure planning and public trust can accelerate demand for green technologies and products such … read more

From Idea to Investment: Four Climate Finance Lessons from WUF13

The urban climate finance gap is not a shortage of ideas; it is a shortage of pathways from ideas to investment. This message was made clear by Dr Maimunah Mohd Sharif during her opening remarks at the session Innovative Models to Unlock Finance for Climate-Resilient Housing and Basic Services in Intermediary Cities co-organized by the … read more

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