As COP29 gets underway in Baku, Azerbaijan, local and subnational leaders demand urgent multilevel action and access to climate finance at the subnational level.

At the opening of COP29, representatives from cities, regions, and subnational governments held a press conference emphasising their indispensable role in climate action led by the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency. CLGF is part of the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments which supports the work and advocacy of the LGMA group.

Integrated action

The LGMA Constituency has developed a joint position to support advancing the Constituency’s goals within the negotiations at COP29. The position is made up of three clear asks and is supported by guidance documents for the Parties that translate the asks into ‘outcomes language’. With in excess of 70 endorsers, the LGMA’s Joint Position includes the voices of hundreds of cities and regions.

Multilevel action and climate finance to cities and regions

Yunus Arikan, Director of Global Advocacy at ICLEI and the LGMA focal point explained: “Throughout the next two weeks, we will have a Multilevel Action & Urbanisation Pavilion, and we will also contribute to the negotiations including, for the third year in a row, a Ministerial Meeting on Urbanisation and Climate Change on 20 November.”

The Position urges Parties at COP29:

• to accelerate inclusive, multilevel, and gender-responsive climate action by incorporating local and subnational governments into new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Adaptation Plans, and other national goals;
• Finance sustainable urbanisation and climate action at all government levels; and
• Align the climate, LGMA Media Release: Cities and Regions Demand Accelerated, Multilevel Climate Goals and Action at COP29 nature, pollution, and sustainable development agendas by building on the COP28 Joint Statement on Climate, Nature, and People. 

Founding member of the Under 2 Coalition, Wade Crowfoot, told the press conference: “We are towns, cities, counties, provinces, states, and regions from around the world taking bold action to reduce pollution, restore nature, and protect our people from intensifying climate impacts. For the lives and livelihoods of our people, and the future of our planet, we must act across borders with unprecedented resolve and urgency. There is absolutely no time to waste.” 

CLGF view

CLGF Secretary-General Lucy Slack said: "It is imperative that COP29 recognises the vital role of local government in addressing climate change. Strategic policies are vital in providing an overarching framework, but it is at the local level where real action and behavioural changes make the difference. Whether we are looking at large cities, towns, or more rural areas, the need for a bottom up approach and commitment is the same. Finance for climate action at the local level is vital, particularly in small, developing states where climate disasters destroy not only people and buildings, but economies for decades to come. Building on the outcomes of our Conference in November 2023, CLGF is working with our members in the Commonwealth, including through the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Network (CSCN) to share expertise on building resilience and sustainability and the importance of action in urban areas where we see rapid population growth and also where approximately 70% of greenhouse gases are emitted.”

The COP is the supreme decision-making body of the Convention. All States that are Parties to the Convention are represented at the COP, at which they review the implementation of the Convention and any other legal instruments that the COP adopts and take decisions necessary to promote the effective implementation of the Convention, including institutional and administrative arrangements.  The press conference highlighted the importance of inclusive multilevel action, climate finance for sustainable urbanisation, and alignment of global climate, nature, and development agendas.