FAQ

Vision, ambition and action objectives: This initiative sets out commitments and a long-term shared vision to tackle the interconnected challenges of climate change mitigation and adaptation, and access to safe, sustainable and affordable energy for all.

The vision is threefold and includes:

1. Accelerate the decarbonization (limit or eliminate the use of energy sources that emit carbon) or reduce the greenhouse gas emissions in urban areas, thus helping to keep the average global warming below 2°C;
2. Strengthen the capacity to adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change by making urban territories more resilient;
3. Increase the energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources in urban territories, thus ensuring a universal access to safe, sustainable and affordable energy services for all.

The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy is open to all cities and municipalities, of any size and region worldwide. Other stakeholders –other than local governments, are also welcome as supporters of the Covenant by supporting cities in their regions or countries.

The mayor (or an equivalent local authority) must sign a Commitment Letter. There are two ways to do this:

• To contact one of the National Coordinators in your country and express your interest. They will guide your city through the membership process. If you prefer, you can download the commitment letter below and send it to us signed by your local authority to: [email protected].
• To access the commitment letter model and take the first step towards a more eco-friendly society.

For more information, please click here.

The local authorities can sign the Covenant at any time, there is no deadline! The Covenant events provide all mayors with a valuable opportunity for visibility, networking activities and public signature.

The Covenant of Mayors is a bottom-up initiative and a voluntary commitment of the municipalities to accomplish the objectives set by them and on their own benefit.

The most important advantages of being a signatory to the Covenant are:

• Hands-on support through orientation materials and tools
• Related work coordination with other organizations and governments, enhancing actions and partnership.
• International recognition and visibility of local authority that are members;
• The opportunity to contribute to the achievement of international agendas and goals, including the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the Paris Agreement;
• Participation in mechanisms to review and monitor the progress of the climate action;
• Improved financial opportunities for local weather and energy projects;
• Access to innovative methods for networking, sharing experience and capacity building, through regular events, cooperation, webinars or online forums;
• Quick access to excellent know-how and inspiring case studies;
• Self-assessment provided through comparison with other signatories and joint monitoring.

By becoming a signatory, your municipality or local government has the technical, communicative and institutional support of the Covenant.

First, we suggest making public the commitment you have made to combat climate change. You are entitled to use official communication channels of the Mayor´s office, actions organized by the secretariats involved, and dialogues with the local society, among others. The important issue is to inform the public about this important step the government is taking.

At this time, it is also important to begin mobilizing municipal teams to start your journey with the Covenant and move forward. Identify the technical focal point in the municipality that will contact the National Coordinator in your country and our Helpdesk. Create a working group with people who can contribute. An interdisciplinary team would be an advantage! It is recommended that this team meet to develop actions. In addition to the Municipal Secretariat of the Environment, some of the involved secretaries in this process, would be the Municipal Secretariat of Planning, the Municipal Secretariat of Urbanism and Mobility, the Municipal Secretariat of Civil Defense, the Municipal Secretariat of Economic Development, the Municipal Secretariat of Housing and Land Regularization, the Municipal Secretariat of Health, and the Municipal Secretariat of Work and Infrastructure, among others. The main objective is to integrate the most relevant sectors of the municipality and jointly think about actions to combat climate change.

The Helpdesk of the Covenant in Latin America and the Caribbean will be available to provide any kind of support, free of charge, at all stages. We look forward to hearing from you!

Being part of the GCoM-LAC requires the commitment of the city which would be reflected in their preparing the required documents and plans, as well as the progress report. Consequently, they must prepare (or compile) four documents and inform about them to fulfill the initiative. The documents are:

1. Municipal Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory
2. Risk Analysis and Climate Vulnerabilities
3. Climate Action Plan, including mitigation and adaptation measures
4. Energy Access Plan*

* More information coming soon

The Municipal Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory evaluates the amount of CO2 generated by the consumption of energy in the territory of the Covenant member. This makes possible to identifying the main sources of GHG and their respective reduction potentials.

The signatories of the Covenant choose their own tools to calculate their emissions according to their needs. However, you must ensure that the informed inventory complies with the general principles specified and detailed in the Common Reporting Framework (CRF).

The commitments of the Covenant apply to the entire geographical area of the local government. Therefore, the GHG inventory must include the energy consumed by all activity sectors. The main sectors and sub-sectors are as follows:

• Stationary energy
  • Housing;
  • Business and institutions;
  • Manufacturing and construction industries;
  • Power generating industries;
  • Unspecified sources;
  • Agriculture, forestry and fisheries;
  • Fugitive emissions (leaks or uneven gas release)

• Transportation
  • By road;
  • Railroad;
  • Shipping;
  • Aviation;
  • Off-road;

• Residuals
  • Final disposal of solid wastes;
  • Incineration or outdoor burning;
  • Biological treatment;
  • Treatment and removal of liquid effluents

Inventory must cover a period of 12 consecutive months

The municipality has up to 2 years from the signing of the commitment letter to prepare or update and inform about its GHG inventory.

The risk and vulnerability analysis is an evaluation to determine the nature and extent of climate dangers, analyzing potential risks and evaluating the vulnerability that may pose a threat or potential damage to people, property, livelihoods and the environment they depend on.

The analysis allows for the identification of the critical areas of concern, hence, it provides information for decision-making. The analysis can address risks associated with floods, extreme temperatures and heat waves, drought and water scarcity, storms and other extreme weather events, increased forest fires, sea level rise and coastal erosion (if applicable).

The risk and vulnerability assessment works together with the GHG inventory, as a starting point for the development of the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan.

The municipality has up to 2 years from the signing of the commitment letter to prepare or update and inform about the risk and vulnerability analysis.

The Climatic Action Plan is the key document that shows how the Covenant signatory will achieve its vision and goal. The plan includes an assessment of the current situation, i.e. a GHG inventory for the climate mitigation part and a risk and vulnerability analysis for the adaptation part; GHG emission reduction and climate adaptation clearly identified targets; and the measures planned in conjunction with the deadlines, designated responsibilities and estimated impacts. Does your city already have mitigation and adaptation actions planned? You may just need to update the data and report the existing material!

The Covenant refers to action at the local level, among the scope of the local authorities engaged. The signatories to the Covenant are therefore expected to act on several or all their possible responsibilities:

• Planner, developer and controller: The local authorities are usually responsible for building, transportation and land-use planning policies. They have the capacity to: optimize the energy effectiveness of new facilities, integrate sustainable transport measures and adaptation strategies into local planning practice.
• Producer and provider: The local authorities can also act as a local business or service provider to promote the production of local energy and those that use energy sources.
• Coaching and motivating: Public awareness activities are important involve the community in supporting sustainable energy and climate policies. The local authorities can act as advisors and educators for citizens and other stakeholders (e.g., architects, planners or artisans) and encourage their citizens to change their habits towards a more sustainable livelihood.

The municipality has up to 3 years from the signing of the letter of commitment to develop (or compile and update the actions already planned) and report on its Climate Action Plan.

The Common Reporting Framework is a global set of recommendations to support cities in the GCoM reporting process. The CRF also helps ensure solid phases of planning, implementation and monitoring of climate actions, streamlining measurement and reporting procedures. It was created with the objective of being flexible to accomplish specific local or regional circumstances. It also enables global data comparison and aggregation.

The CRF was developed to adapt to current differences in measurement approaches and reporting practices. It guarantees solid assessment, target setting, integrated climate action planning, simplified monitoring and reporting across three main pillars of the initiative; climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience; and access to safe, affordable and sustainable energy.

Through the Common Reporting Framework, the Covenant movement will be able to show results and monitor the progress of the city´s goals in a transparent manner. Such data will be useful to advocate for a better multilevel governance on energy and climate issues when presented to decision makers, and will also make possible to enhance technical and financial support.

Read the full document here.

Below are the official platforms to report the progress of the Covenant:

• My Covenant
• CDP/Carbon

The Covenant does not transfer funds to the signatories, but supports them technically, logistically and institutionally in the formulation and implementation of climate change mitigation and adaptation action plans.

The Covenant does not transfer funds to the signatories, but supports them technically, logistically and institutionally in the formulation and implementation of climate change mitigation and adaptation action plans.

Cities committed to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy agreed to advance climate action in three main areas: reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, adaptation to climate change, and access to clean and affordable energy. As the city prepares its climate commitments, its achievements will be visually recognized by a system of medals displayed on each city’s profile (city panel) on the Covenant’s global and regional websites.

The medal system provides an overview of each city’s commitment and can be used by cities to communicate and promote their progress as part of this global community. The medals can also connect cities with opportunities, resources and cities that are participating in the same steps and processes.

The Helpdesk provides administrative, logistical and technical support to the signatory cities, as well as to regions and other national institutions interested in the program. The Helpdesk is, therefore, the mechanism through which the Covenant can interact daily and directly with the cities and the GCoM community.

• Receive commitment letters from Latin American and the Caribbean cities and share “welcome kits” for new signatory cities.
• React to the demand and supply of information from the municipalities;
• Reorganize and disseminate this information;
• Contribute and support Covenant capacity building events and training activities;
• Prepare and disseminate documents, tools and other resources to the signatory cities;
• Disseminate information on the Covenant through the website, social media and bulletins;
• Organize webinars
• Act as a mechanism for combining bilateral partnerships based on the knowledge of the specific needs and profiles of the municipalities, resulting from the exchange of information and the database as well

One of the objectives of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy is the creation of a multi-stakeholder community to share knowledge and experiences on the issue and serve as a basis for future progress. We want to bring together local, regional and national governments, as well as the private sector, the academic and research communities and other organizations involved in climate change. The implementation of the Global Covenant for Latin America and the Caribbean takes place within the European Union International Urban Cooperation Program.

The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy in Latin America and the Caribbean is structured with the support of a broad governance, with the ability to support the signatory municipalities. This structure consists of a Secretariat, the Helpdesk and a Regional Management Committee.

The following are members of the Regional Management Committee: the European Union Delegation in Brazil, the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, ICLEI SAMS, CAF (Latin American Development Bank), the CGLU, represented by Mercociudades and FLACMA.

1. The National Advisory Committees are working groups that define an annual National Strategy of activities for the implementation of the GCoM in the country, which seeks to connect the existing efforts at the local, regional and national levels, aligned with the National Determined Contributions (NDC).
2. The National Coordinators are the organizations, usually national associations of municipalities that coordinate the implementation of the Covenant activities in the country where cities get involved with the Covenant. If you want to know the National Coordinators, click here.
3. The National Supporters work in each country, when required by the municipalities and national coordinators to provide technical support to the municipalities that have signed the Covenant to accomplish their greenhouse gas emissions reduction and climate vulnerability mitigation targets.

The Latin American Secretariat of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy invites organizations interested in becoming National Supporters to submit their Expressions of Interest.

For more information on selection and how to apply, read the announcement.