Highlights of COP 22 for local and regional governments

Highlights of COP 22 for local and regional governments

The 22nd Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22) took place in Marrakech from 7 to 18 of November 2016, with the mandate to decide on the action agenda to implement the Paris Agreements which entered into force on 4 November.

Local and regional government activities in the framework of the COP22 

The highlight for our constituency was the Climate Summit for Local and Regional Leaders organized by the Moroccan hosts and the cities and local and regional governments networks on Monday 14 of November. The main outcome document of the Climate Summit for Local and Regional Leaders is the Marrakech Roadmap for Action: "For a Global Action Framework towards Localizing Climate Finance, the Call of Cities and Regions of the World".

The Climate Summit for Local and Regional Leaders brought together all the major regional and international networks of cities and local and regional authorities. Speaking in the opening plenary on behalf of the Global Taskforce, UCLG President, Parks Tau, signaled the historic moment we are living as. Never before was the consciousness of the impact of climate change so clear, never was the political will worldwide so broad and also never before have we been so united.

He recalled that UCLG has always advocated for ensuring coherence and building on the interlinkages between all the on-going international agendas. We have always claimed that the climate agenda was not to be understood if not linked with the development agenda. We need to accept that all agendas are universal and all of us need to accept that the current production and consumption will need to be redefined with the task of the ecological restoration of planetary systems but also with the persistent challenges of increasing social inequalities while protecting cultural diversity. Read the full statement here

The conclusions of the Climate Summit for Local and Regional Leaders were presented to the High Level Dialogue on Finance on 16 November by Mayor of Odienne and Vice-President of the Federation of cities and town of Ivory Coast, Diane Toure Nasseneba. Download statement (FR).

The Roadmap for action presents the urgency to renovate the financial ecosystem of global investments to make them climate-compatible, and to create directing pointers for its fluxes, primarily towards sustainable development at the subnational and local levels, in order to meet: the di!erentiated and complex realities of global urbanization, in particular in developing and low income contexts;

It further calls for The launch, in 2017, of a Global Campaign for Localizing Climate Finance in order to accelerate the mobilization of financing for the subnational and local segments, coordinated with the propositions of the Global Partnership for Localizing Finance, and the work of the Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance (CCFLA) and all the coalitions of actors in the public and private funding sectors.

On 17 November, the UCLG committee on finance, CEMR and I4CE held a side-event on “Financing Local Climate Action”, with contributions from the Mayor of Rabat and President of UCLG Committee on Finance, Mohamed Sadiki, UCLG Climate spokesperson, Ronan Dantec, and reprsentatives of the OECD, AFD and I4CE. Watch video (FR).

On 15 November, partners of the Global Covenant of Mayors on Climate and Energy organized a side-event to present “The impact of collective city action”, with the participation of the Mayor of Edmonton, Don Iveson,  and the Mayor of Bangangte and President of REFELA (Network of local elected women of Africa), Célestine Ketcha Courtes.

Messages of the constituency delivered during the High Level sessions:

16 November: High Level Dialogue on Enhancing Ambition and Support - means of Implementation, Mayor of Port Vila, Ulrich Sumptoh.
17 November: COP22 High Level Segment, President of the Region of Souss Massa and Vice President of the Association of Moroccan Regions, Brahim Hafidi.
18 November: COP22 Closing Plenary, Councillor of Nantes, France and UCLG Climate Spokesperson, Ronan Dantec.

Highlights for Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) from COP22

The COP 22 outcome document, the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action deals with local and subnational governments are dealt with in the section "Policy Makers" alongside National governments and Regulators, which are expected to contribute to act on all 7 sectors of 2 thematic areas Natural Areas (Land Use, Oceans , Water) and Sustainable Infrastructure (Human Settlements, Transport , Energy, Industry). Local and municipal service providers are also listed under "Activity Implementers". The document also foresees a Summit of Alliances and Coalitions that will feed into the annual UNFCCC meetings to be organized between July and October 2017.

The final reports of all thematic discussions in Marrakech can be found on the Marrakech Partnership website, including the report on Cities and Human Settlements held on 10 November, focusing on Buildings, facilitated by Global Alliance of Buildings and Construction and on Resilience, facilitated by ICLEI, FMDV and Moroccan Ministry of Interior. You can watch the video here

The conclusions of these discussions were delivered during the High Level Segment on Accelerating Climate Action. The report of the Cities and Human Settlements discussion are available in French and English.

The announcement of 2050 Pathways Platform can be found on the UNFCCC website, where engagement of cities, regions and states is facilitated by C40, ICLEI and Under2 Coalition.

On the last day of COP22, 48 countries under the Climate Vulnerable Forum announced the Marrakech Vision which includes their commitment to 100% Renewable Energies. A video of the special event on 15 November is available featuring local and subnational leaders committing to 100% Renewable Energy, mobilized by ICLEI as partner of the campaign "100% Renewables for 1.5oC"