Successful Participation of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy at the ICLEI World Congress 2024

 

June 21, 2024, São Paulo, Brazil – The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) had a distinguished participation at the ICLEI World Congress 2024 in São Paulo, reaffirming its commitment to local Climate Action in Latin America. This event brought together mayors, municipal leaders, and sustainability experts from around the world to exchange knowledge and strengthen the multilevel partnerships necessary to address climate change.

 

Latin American Mayors’ Forum of the GCoM

The Congress, held in São Paulo, Brazil, from June 18 to 20, featured a series of activities organized by GCoM in collaboration with ICLEI South America and other strategic partners. The week began with the Latin American Mayors’ Forum of the GCoM, a closed-door event that allowed for the evaluation of the alliance’s progress and the discussion of new opportunities and challenges.

Carolina Basualdo, mayor of Despeñaderos (Argentina) and president of the Forum, highlighted: “Cities are the protagonists of Climate Action, and our great challenge is to continue advancing with climate financing because we need to achieve concrete projects for our communities.”

This first in-person meeting of 2024 was an opportunity to integrate new representatives from Latin American cities into the Forum.

During this session, the CHAMP coalition, announced at COP28 to accelerate the Climate Action of subnational governments, with more committed NDCs from cities, greater political collaboration to establish multilevel partnerships, and facilitate access to climate financing, was highlighted. Achievements of the first half of 2024, such as the Latin American campaign led by the Forum around June 5 on World Environment Day, were also highlighted, and priorities were set for the upcoming milestones of the year, such as the Board meetings, the Innovate4Cities conference, COP16 Biodiversity, WUF, and COP29.

There was also a moment of recognition for the Forum’s cities where diplomas were awarded for the medals obtained in the 2023 cycle. Only in this cycle, GCoM awarded 248 medals to cities in Latin America in recognition of their progress in Climate Action.

 

GCoM Global Cities Dialogue

One of the highlights was the GCoM Global Cities Dialogue, which focused on accelerating local climate action through multilevel partnerships. Nearly 100 leaders from cities around the world, including Germany, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the United States, Japan, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay, shared best practices of cooperation and discussed the implementation of the CHAMP coalition, key to strengthening these partnerships.

The opening of the event featured the participation of Ambassador Antonio Da Costa e Silva from Brazil’s Ministry of Cities, who shared a reflection on the growing participation of subnational governments in the international climate agenda and presented Brazil’s government’s multilevel dialogue approach.

This dialogue laid the groundwork for building a strong narrative towards COP30, with the goal of achieving significant results for local governments. The good energy and positivity created the perfect environment for three Latin American cities to sign the commitment letter with the Global Covenant of Mayors; the Brazilian municipality of Campo Limpo Paulista and from Argentina, the municipalities of Pérez and Tolhuin.

The event featured the active participation of numerous key GCoM partners worldwide, such as regional and national offices of ICLEI, CDP, USDN, GIZ, UNDRR, City Climate Gap Fund, among others.

Rodrigo Perpétuo, Executive Director of ICLEI South America, and other prominent leaders expressed their gratitude for the continuous collaboration and support of GCoM. The alliance of cities and multilevel work is essential to maximize the opportunities for medium and small cities in Latin America to access climate financing. “We are proud to be partners of the Covenant on this journey,” noted Perpétuo.

 

Amazonian Cities Session

During the ICLEI World Congress, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy also participated in the session “Amazonian cities, unique and irreplaceable.” The Amazon, home to 47 million people, 500 indigenous groups, 40,000 plant species, and over 6,000 animal species, is a vital ecosystem for climate balance.

In this session, Edmilson Rodrigues, mayor of Belém (future host city of COP30), highlighted: “The work of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy has allowed us to create evidence-based public policies. The way out of the climate crisis involves urban planning tools that do not ignore scientific data.”

Meanwhile, Vladimir Chong, mayor of Maynas in Peru, emphasized the need for financing and technical assistance to advance the reconstruction of Amazonian cities. This request was also supported by Janet Castagne, mayor of Coronel Portillo in Peru and a member of the Latin American Mayors’ Forum of the Covenant, who made an urgent appeal: “You might be tired of hearing this many times, but we are in a Climate Emergency. We have days of 42°C and then the next day 19°C. We are calling for help, we need to push forward projects immediately.”

Finally, Hélinah Cardoso, regional director of the GCoM in the Americas, during her speech, presented the Guide for Amazonian Cities, developed in collaboration with ICLEI to provide support and technical assistance to this region in the development of Greenhouse Gas Inventories.

 

Award Ceremony for Flagship Cities

During the ICLEI World Congress, the award ceremony was also held for the cities participating in the “Flagship Cities” initiative, funded by the European Union through the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy project. The initiative, implemented with technical support from ICLEI South America, has accompanied 14 Latin American cities: Godoy Cruz (Argentina), Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and Serra Talhada (Brazil); Independencia, Peñalolén, and Santiago (Chile); Cartagena (Colombia), La Unión (Costa Rica), Cuenca, and Quito (Ecuador); Mexico City and Zapopan (Mexico). For over a year, technical support and training have been provided to support cities in carrying out financeable projects in mitigation and adaptation.

Flagship Cities not only strengthened the technical capacities of participating cities but also sought to raise awareness of the financial language related to environmental projects, create positive examples, and develop good practices to be replicated throughout Latin America. With the award ceremony, the commitment and effort of these cities in the fight against climate change were recognized, highlighting the importance of international collaboration and the support of the European Union to address climate challenges and build a more sustainable future for the entire region.

 

Gender Session

During the gender session “How everyone can thrive in gender-sensitive cities” at the ICLEI World Congress, prominent leaders such as Carolina Basualdo (Argentina), President of the Covenant Mayors’ Forum in Latin America, and Carolina Leitao, Mayor of Peñalolén (Chile) and a member of the Forum, shared their experiences and perspectives. The importance of incorporating a gender approach in climate and environmental policies was discussed, emphasizing the need to empower women in local decision-making.

The speakers highlighted how the inclusion of the gender perspective not only promotes equity but also strengthens the resilience of communities facing climate challenges. The impact of actions was also emphasized, with Leitao highlighting: “One thing is activism and another is measuring the impact of what we do. We start from a baseline to know how we are progressing. The data gives us evidence and allows us to develop the public policy we need.”

 

Business Roundtable between Cities, Financial Institutions, and Companies

The “Business Roundtable between Cities, Financial Institutions, and Companies” was a crucial space for knowledge exchange and the creation of strategic partnerships. This session, co-organized with CDP and supported by the GAP FUND, facilitated dialogue between city representatives, financial entities, and the private sector, promoting collaboration opportunities to finance sustainability and climate action projects. Participating cities were able to present their needs and projects, while financial institutions and companies offered valuable exchanges, solutions, and resources to drive sustainable development. This meeting underscored the importance of cooperation between different public and private actors to achieve common goals and build a more sustainable future for the region.

The active participation and commitment of GCoM mayors at this ICLEI World Congress once again demonstrate Latin America’s unwavering dedication to local climate action. GCoM will continue to work tirelessly to strengthen these partnerships and support cities on their path to a more sustainable and resilient future.

About the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM):

The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy is the largest global coalition of cities committed to local climate action, including nearly 700 municipalities and local governments in Latin America. GCoM works closely with the European Union and other strategic partners to empower municipalities and advance the global fight against climate change.

 

More information for the press:

Alexandra Cortés, Senior Communications Advisor: [email protected]

Jose Moreno, Communications Advisor: [email protected]