On Friday 29 September, the international networks of ‘Local Governments and Municipal Authorities’ (LGMAs) will present their joint position for COP28, to be held in December in Dubai (United Arab Emirates). The document, which will be presented during the external meeting of the ENVE (environment, climate change and energy) Commission of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) in Malaga, Spain, calls for recognition of the major role of sub-national governments in limiting the rise in global temperatures to 1.5°C.
This joint LGMA position has been drawn up thanks to collaboration between the CoR, the Under2 coalition - a network of sub-national governments working towards zero net emissions by 2050 - and Regions4, which represents sub-national governments at the United Nations, with the support of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI). The aim is to bring together the voices of sub-national governments from around the world.
Kata Tüttö (Party of European Socialists, PES), vice-president of the CoR’s ENVE commission and deputy mayor of Budapest (Hungary), said: “We are ready to speak with one voice to protect our citizens’ right to a healthy and safe planet. We call on the parties to the UNFCCC to do likewise and to recognise the crucial role of local and regional authorities in implementing adaptation and mitigation measures on the ground”.
The signatories call on the 198 Parties to COP28, which include all UN member states and the European Union, to recognise and support the importance of sub-national governments. They are calling for greater involvement of these governments in the process of national contributions and national adaptation plans, and for financial and technical support for the implementation of local adaptation strategies.
In addition, they wish to facilitate access to climate financing mechanisms and the participation of sub-national governments in the first COP28 Local Climate Action Summit, announced by the future Presidency.
The joint position: https://aeur.eu/f/8sj (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)