UCLG at the 2023 GCoM Open House

Brussels – 27 January, 2023. On the week of January 23 United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) participated in the 2023 edition of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) Open House, co-funded and co-directed by Bloomberg Philanthropies and the European Union. This event was convened to present GCoM’s progress and initiatives for 2023 in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing energy efficiency, and adapting to the impacts of climate change.

Opening the week, UCLG was happy to join the Strategic Advisory Committee (SAC) with a strong delegation. UCLG has ratified the important role that cities and local governments play in addressing the global climate crisis in its recently adopted Pact for the Future. The Global Covenant of Mayors is an important platform in which the networks come together and high-impact partnerships flourish to find solutions and contribute in the fight against climate change.
Two months after COP27, the GCoM Open House has also provided a platform for reflecting on the conference and better organizing the contributions from our constituency to the 2023 agenda. This year will be marked by the SDG Summit, coordinated by the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments, and the COP28, coordinated by the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) in the UNFCCC process.

UCLG and its sections attended the presentations of the Technical Working Groups (TWG), the different workshops and the Common Reporting Framework (CRF) Academy. Previously during the SAC, UCLG Secretary General Emilia Saiz reiterated UCLG’s sound commitment to co-chairing the Global-Regional Coordination TWG along with ICLEI. Present at the Open House on site were Ms Firdaous Oussidhoum and Mr Pablo Mariani of the World Secretariat, Mr Mohamed Nbou from UCLG Africa, Mr Rendy Primrizqy from UCLG ASPAC and Mr Lautaro Lorenzo from Mercociudades; all of whom welcomed the opportunities to discuss the regional work, network, and support the global efforts of the GCoM. Additionally, the event counted with online attendance from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), FLACMA, UCLG Eurasia and UCLG MEWA.

During the presentation of the Research and Innovation Technical Working Group (R+I-TWG) UCLG celebrated the inclusion of “History and Climate Heritage” in the City Research and Innovation Agenda (CRIA). This vein of work has been pioneered by UCLG in its World Forum on Intermediary Cities, when joining both criteria for resilience Environment & Culture, as well as through its Town Hall dialogue on Climate and Culture and through research made in the GOLD VI report on Renaturing pathways. Additionally, during the Finance TWG, UCLG celebrated GCoM’s efforts in strengthening local-level capacities in implementing climate action. These projects help ensure Multilevel Governance is at the core of local climate action planning, and local efforts included in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).