Education
CHAMP council calls for stronger local govt role in global climate action – EnviroNews
– Advertisement –
The Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP) for Climate Action has called for stronger collaboration between national and subnational governments to accelerate climate action and ensure global commitments translate into tangible benefits for local communities.
The call was made during the second meeting of CHAMP’s Subnational Advisory Council (SAC), which brought together mayors, governors and regional leaders from five continents on the sidelines of the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye.
The meeting focused on identifying shared climate priorities for the coming year, strengthening cooperation between different levels of government and securing greater recognition of local and regional authorities in international climate decision-making.
The Council and CHAMP’s Steering Group subsequently endorsed a joint COP31 Statement calling for stronger multilevel climate governance, deeper integration of subnational governments into global climate processes and increased investment in locally driven climate solutions.
According to the coalition, the statement marks the first time national and subnational leaders within CHAMP have jointly articulated a position on translating climate ambition into practical implementation.
Established at London Climate Action Week 2026, the Subnational Advisory Council was created to ensure that the perspectives of city, state and regional leaders directly inform the work of CHAMP’s 80 endorsers.
The Council comprises five mayors and three regional leaders serving two-year terms. It is co-facilitated by the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) and the Under2 Coalition, in collaboration with C40 Cities and the World Resources Institute (WRI), which serves as the CHAMP Secretariat.
The COP31 Statement outlines priorities under three pillars of the CHAMP Implementation Roadmap.
The first focuses on strengthening multilevel climate governance through greater recognition of subnational governments in the Second Global Stocktake (GST2) process and improved use of local evidence and expertise in assessing global climate progress.
The second pillar seeks to catalyse partnerships for local delivery by ensuring that Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and sectoral climate initiatives are implemented through coordinated action between national and subnational authorities.
The third calls for scaling up and unlocking climate finance by strengthening project preparation support, connecting local investment opportunities with financing sources and improving access to climate funding for cities, states and regions.
Speaking at the meeting, Chair of the CHAMP Subnational Advisory Council and Global Ambassador of GCoM, Anne Hidalgo, said cities and regions were already implementing climate solutions through affordable and climate-resilient housing, responses to extreme heat and weather events, and access to clean and reliable energy.
She explained that the Council was established to ensure local climate action informs international goals and priorities while encouraging national governments and subnational authorities to jointly plan, finance and implement climate programmes.
“Our session today outlined where this partnership can make the greatest collective difference over the next twelve months and set a direction for CHAMP signatories to follow,” Hidalgo said.
Similarly, CHAMP Co-Chair and Chief International Advisor at Brazil’s Ministry of Cities, Ambassador Antônio Da Costa, stressed that climate commitments must deliver measurable improvements in people’s lives.
He noted that cities, states and regions were critical to implementing climate solutions, particularly in resilient infrastructure, clean mobility and adaptation.
Da Costa described the COP31 Statement as a call for national and subnational leaders to work together, align climate ambitions with implementation and deliver practical results for communities.
Governor Eduardo Leite of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, also emphasised the importance of aligning national climate targets with local implementation.
He said subnational governments had a decisive role in translating global climate commitments into tangible outcomes, adding that effective partnerships were necessary to achieve climate action at the scale required.
For Minister Thekla Walker of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, national climate commitments could only succeed if appropriate systems were established to implement them locally.
She stressed that subnational leaders should not merely be informed about climate decisions but should actively participate in shaping them, describing such engagement as essential to the multilevel governance envisaged under the Paris Agreement.
Mayor Mohamed Sefiani of Chefchaouen, Morocco, identified limited access to climate finance as one of the major obstacles confronting cities and regional governments.
He called on countries endorsing CHAMP to prioritise unlocking climate finance for subnational authorities, noting that addressing the challenge would require stronger communication and cooperation with national governments.
Mayor Alfredo Coro of Del Carmen, Philippines, said national climate targets could not be achieved without the participation of frontline, vulnerable and active local governments in decision-making processes.
He cited the PhilLOCAL initiative in the Philippines as an example of how multilevel partnerships could promote inclusive and locally driven governance by connecting climate science, culture, digital tools and financing opportunities with smaller and highly vulnerable island and coastal municipalities.
The discussions at the COP31 meeting underscored the growing recognition that cities, states and regions are indispensable to delivering national and international climate commitments.
Through its joint statement, CHAMP is seeking to ensure that local governments have a stronger voice in global climate negotiations, greater access to climate finance and a more direct role in determining how climate policies are implemented on the ground.
