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On December 1, 2025, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the City Diplomacy Lab convened a distinguished gathering of city leaders, UN and government officials, development practitioners, and climate policy experts for “Delivering Local Climate Action — Insights from COP30.” Held both in person at the UNEP Paris Office and online, this roundtable marked the opening event of the Our Urban Future webinar series—a five-part initiative co-organized by UNEP and the City Diplomacy Lab designed to examine how sustainable, locally grounded climate action can be accelerated through inclusive governance, accessible financing, and partnerships that connect global objectives with municipal realities.

The event arrived at a critical juncture. As COP30 in Belém concluded with cities and regions achieving unprecedented recognition, important questions remained about transforming this acknowledgment into concrete progress. The session brought together those directly involved in the negotiations alongside local elected officials and technical experts to reflect on outcomes, consolidate implementation pathways, and identify the practical mechanisms necessary to give real effect to the forward momentum created in Brazil.

Opening: From Recognition to Implementation

Hongpeng Lei, Chief of the Mitigation Branch at UNEP’s Climate Change Division, opened the proceedings by acknowledging the outcomes of COP30. While recognizing the mixed nature of what was achieved in Belém, Lei emphasized that cities and regions now stand at a critical juncture. He highlighted that “the role of cities and regions was further enhanced before and during COP.” Drawing on his extensive experience working with cities—including launching China’s first low-carbon city initiative in 2007—Lei emphasized a fundamental principle: “While we generally argue cities account for 70% of emissions and cities should be the key implementer for climate actions, if you look at the real actions on the ground in different kinds of cities and regions, we need to identify the very tailored message, products, financing model. There’s no one-fit-for-all solution.” The challenge facing the international climate community is clear: transforming the recognition that local and regional governments have gained into concrete implementation pathways that deliver measurable results on the ground.

Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi, Founding Director of the City Diplomacy Lab, built on this foundation by emphasizing that cities have decisively emerged as essential actors in climate governance. “They have a role and responsibility, and they are a platform for implementation,” he stated, acknowledging that while cities were prominently featured at COP30, their expectations may have only been partially met. Yet Kihlgren Grandi underscored a fundamental conviction: discussing and addressing climate action from a multilevel, multilateral perspective remains one of the strongest incentives for all institutions around the world to place not only the present, but also—and especially—the future of humanity at the center of their decisions, even within a particularly complex geopolitical landscape. This framing positioned the roundtable as more than a post-COP reflection—it represented a critical opportunity to identify the practical mechanisms and institutional innovations necessary to transform recognition into concrete progress, bringing together negotiators, practitioners, and local leaders to chart the path from Belém forward.

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Panel 1: Strategic Perspectives from International Actors

The first panel assembled representatives from key international organizations working at the intersection of urban sustainability and climate policy, each bringing distinct insights from their engagement in COP30 and beyond.

Bernhard Barth, Programme Coordinator for Climate Change and Urban Environment at UN-Habitat, provided analysis on how the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)—now numbering over 100—have evolved to incorporate urban dimensions. Drawing on joint analysis conducted by UNFCCC and UN-Habitat, he noted the encouraging trend of increased national engagement with urban components in climate commitments. “We have a great scene from UNFCCC and UN Habitat,” Barth observed, emphasizing the analysis showing that “national engagement or urban component has increased.” His contribution underscored UN-Habitat’s ongoing work to ensure that cities are not merely sites of implementation but recognized partners in shaping national climate strategies.

Hélène Chartier, Director of Urban Planning and Design at C40, offered perspectives on how cities can convert the political momentum from COP30 into actionable programs. She emphasized the importance of recognizing joint efforts: “I think we need to also recognize that our joint effort and coordination between our different organizations have been successful and we are all going in the same direction.” Chartier highlighted C40’s evidence that “three-fourths of our cities are delivering much faster their climate agenda compared to their national government and reducing their GHG emissions more than their national government.” She attributed this success to cities’ operational capacity and a different form of multilateralism—one that avoids the “least common denominator” approach, instead pushing for minimum leadership standards. “We are really in the phase of implementation and mainstreaming,” Chartier noted, emphasizing that cities now have clear agendas but need support in executing them. She also stressed the critical importance of ensuring “that the finance is going to the ones who are delivering, and in that sense to cities, especially cities that are showing commitments and efforts and need the most.”

Yunus Arikan, Director of Global Advocacy at ICLEI and Focal Point of the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities Constituency (LGMA), delivered a substantive intervention emphasizing the urgency of accelerating implementation cycles beyond the traditional UNFCCC timeline. Arikan introduced ICLEI’s concept of “subnational COPs,” implemented in more than 50 cities and regions across six continents, including Mumbai (Maharashtra State), Oslo, and Yokohama. This framework creates opportunities to bring environment ministers to local governments and their urban development counterparts, reporting back to UNFCCC technical meetings and creating continuous feedback loops rather than waiting for formal COP cycles. He specifically called on UNEP to leverage its unique relationship with environment ministers—noting that NDCs are primarily prepared by these ministers who are UNEP members—to advance urban climate initiatives on cooling, housing, and waste management. Looking ahead to the forthcoming UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) in Nairobi, which overlaps with preparations for COP32, Arikan proposed developing a two-year action plan to ensure coordinated multilevel action.

Delphine Le Duff, Task Team Leader for Local Authorities and Urban Development at Agence Française de Développement (AFD), brought the perspective of a major development finance institution. “At AFD, we see cities as essential actors to deliver the climate agenda,” she began, explaining that cities concentrate most of the world’s population, infrastructure needs, and climate risk exposure. Le Duff emphasized that “AFD has been the first international donor to be 100% aligned with the Paris Agreement,” meaning all financing must demonstrate strong climate co-benefits. She highlighted AFD’s fifteen-year partnership with Brazilian cities, noting concrete results such as Curitiba’s Caximba Resilience project, which resettles vulnerable households while restoring wetlands through nature-based solutions. “This intervention combines both environmental restoration and social inclusion, and it works very well,” she observed. Looking beyond COP30, Le Duff articulated a clear priority: “We need to turn this momentum into implementation,” noting that “the climate transition is irreversible and it will shape our future. This is more than symbolic—it is a political signal with direct operational consequences.”

Kadri Jushkin, representing Estonia’s Ministry of Regional Development and Agriculture, offered a national government perspective on multilevel climate governance. “In Estonia, we see that multilevel governance is an essential tool to implement our climate goals,” she explained, describing how the country has established a network of green transition coordinators in each municipality and encouraged all municipalities to elaborate local climate and energy plans—with more than three-quarters having done so. Jushkin emphasized a crucial insight: “The plans usually include risk assessment, emission baseline, priority actions, and strongest progress is made in the cities where political leadership is supportive. So it’s not necessarily always the biggest cities, also some smaller ones or suburban cities, while the political support is there.” She described national support mechanisms including greenhouse gas inventories for each local government using consistent methodology, applied research documents with practical recommendations, and financial support for strategy elaboration and implementation. Estonia’s participation demonstrated growing recognition among national governments that their own climate commitments depend substantially on effective partnerships with cities and regions.

Panel 2: Municipal Leadership and Territorial Realities

The second panel brought the discussion firmly into the realm of practice, assembling local elected officials and technical experts whose daily work involves translating climate commitments into tangible outcomes in diverse geographical and political contexts.

Edouard Hervé Moby Mpah, Mayor of Douala IV in Cameroon, provided vital perspectives from a major African city confronting the realities of rapid urbanization, resource constraints, and climate vulnerability simultaneously. Describing Douala IV as a coastal city with over 400,000 residents surrounded by significant vegetation, Mayor Moby Mpah explained how internal displacement has caused “a drastic reduction of our mangrove vegetation and an increase in floods, temperature rise, and food insecurity.” He noted that since 2019, Cameroonian law has given cities greater latitude to take initiatives toward combating climate change. Speaking to the challenges facing municipalities like his, the Mayor emphasized a recurring theme: “Many cities have the same difficulties as ours. Mostly, a lack of finance to foster climate change projects that are important for our population. Our project bank is well-furnished with bankable projects, and we are waiting for funds.” He highlighted Douala IV’s Green Belt project as an example of local commitment, noting that “we will definitely begin with our little local budget to emulate the implication of more important budgets and funding.”

Anne-Marie Jean, Vice-President of the Eurometropolis of Strasbourg, brought insights from a major European metropolitan area with established climate programs and substantial technical capacity. She emphasized that all of Strasbourg’s policies align with the UN 2030 Agenda, having territorialized the SDGs through a voluntary local review recognized as innovative. “By declaring a climate emergency in 2020, Strasbourg confirms the need to accelerate its efforts to become a 100% renewable energy, carbon neutral and resilient region by 2050,” Jean stated. She detailed impressive progress: a 43% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, nearly half a billion euros invested in mobility transformation resulting in a 20% increase in public transport journeys, and over 40% reduction in air pollution concentrations. Jean highlighted Strasbourg’s commitment to integrated approaches: “Nearly 20,000 homes have been renovated with the support of the climate agency, and 94% of public procurement contracts include environmental criteria.” She also stressed adaptation measures, including 5,600 trees planted (a 15% increase), demineralization of public spaces, and innovative social programs like providing organic vegetable baskets to pregnant women. Looking forward, Jean noted that “the warming observed in Strasbourg is already more than two degrees,” requiring the city to integrate a plus-four-degrees reference trajectory for 2100.

Céline Papin, Deputy Mayor of Bordeaux, represented a French city that has positioned itself as a leader in urban climate action. Opening with context about Bordeaux’s vulnerability—located in an estuary with significant flood risk and experiencing record-breaking temperatures—Papin explained that the city declared a climate emergency in 2020, convinced that “50 to 70% of climate actions depend on local action, and the cost of inaction exceeds the cost of climate action.” She detailed comprehensive mitigation efforts, including public building renovations, a semi-public renewable energy company established to accelerate investment, and the protection of natural areas comprising 50% of the urban area. On adaptation, Bordeaux has planted 160,000 trees and created numerous gardens and micro-forests. “What’s interesting in this action is that it is very clear and very seen by the citizens,” Papin noted, emphasizing the importance of visible engagement. She highlighted several critical challenges: “We see in different countries that there are some budget cuts due to budget situations, and we are quite worried at the local level about that.” She also stressed the need for continued decentralization to enable local innovation, maintaining political commitment despite ecological backlash, and demonstrating concrete impacts: “We must show how it has a concrete impact on their everyday life and also show them that we are all connected in the world.”

Sameer Unhale, State Joint Commissioner of Municipal Administration for the Government of Maharashtra, provided crucial insights from the subnational government level in India, representing a state whose population exceeds that of most countries. Framing India’s role as representing “one-sixth of humanity” and therefore carrying global significance, Unhale emphasized that “the challenge for us and an opportunity is essentially to ensure accelerated deployment of climate action—appropriate projects and credible actions on the ground by the cities.” He invoked the Sanskrit principle “Vasudeva Kutumbakam—one world is one family,” underscoring that “our actions and inactions are going to influence all of us.” Unhale detailed Maharashtra’s institutional framework: a state climate action plan approved by competent authorities, climate action cells established in all 44 major cities, and nine cities having completed city-level climate action plans with community participation. He highlighted the LIFE (Lifestyle for Environment) mission creating mass mobilization for climate action, alongside the state-level “Majhi Vasundhara” (My Planet Earth) initiative with incentive grants and recognition awards. Unhale made a powerful statement on financing: “Climate funding is not a charity. It is a collective action that we are taking. It need not be a debt, it need not be a dole, but it needs to come along with technology transfer.”

Sture Portvik, Manager for Electromobility for the City of Oslo, offered technical insights from a city that has achieved remarkable progress in transportation electrification. With 720,000 inhabitants, Oslo has reached an extraordinary milestone: “Today 94.6% of all new cars sold in Oslo are actually battery electric.” This represents a dramatic transformation from 2014 when only 2% were electric. Portvik attributed success to a broad political settlement dating back to 2006, combined with visible infrastructure deployment. Oslo’s holistic approach extends beyond private vehicles: “All the buses are zero-emission. Tram is zero-emission, metro obviously. Taxis are zero-emission, but also the most important now is that we also electrify all ferries—battery electric, bringing millions of passengers from residential suburbs into the city.” However, Portvik candidly addressed the policy evolution required for long-term sustainability. Initial incentives, including VAT exemptions and free charging, made electric vehicles attractive but proved fiscally unsustainable. “In the long run, you need also revenues, you need income,” he explained, describing Oslo’s transition to user-pay systems for charging and tolls while maintaining significant cost advantages over combustion vehicles. Portvik concluded by reframing electrification not as a burden but as an economic opportunity, emphasizing that cities should view the transition to zero-emission transport as a driver of innovation and growth rather than merely a cost to be managed.

Takaaki Ito, Executive Director of the Zero Carbon and GREEN×EXPO Promotion Bureau for the City of Yokohama, brought perspectives from one of Japan’s most innovative cities in climate action. Representing a city of 3.8 million citizens with GHG reduction targets of 50% by 2030 and net zero by 2050—having achieved a 25% reduction by 2023—Ito focused on “not on what Yokohama does, but on how we do it, focusing on the role of cities to tackle climate change.” He emphasized cities’ unique positioning: “Cities are the closest entities to companies in the city. We know who wants to do what at what time. So we can connect various companies to build new projects on decarbonization and circular economy. This is especially important for small and medium-sized enterprises.” Ito illustrated this with Yokohama’s central business district Net Zero Air project by 2030, involving intensive discussions with companies and the national government. Similarly with citizens: “Cities are the closest to citizens as well, and we can promote their behavioral changes in their lifestyle by implementing pioneering projects with citizens and disseminating good examples,” citing innovative vending machines at train stations selling unsold bread from local bakeries. He concluded by highlighting Yokohama’s hosting of GREEN×EXPO 2027, “the International Exposition on the Environment to demonstrate the future of cities on greenery and sustainability,” inviting participation from the global community.

Looking Forward: The Our Urban Future Series

In his closing remarks, Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi synthesized the dialogue’s central findings. “From this dialogue, we can see that there is a strong alignment about multilevel governance, which is not only an opportunity, but really the only viable pathway for implementation and have these outcomes that we all strive for,” he observed. The richness and variety of best practices and concrete implementation showcased throughout the session—from Douala’s Green Belt project to Oslo’s electrification success, from Strasbourg’s climate budgeting to Yokohama’s company-city collaboration—demonstrated both the diversity of urban contexts and the universal need for coordinated action across levels of government.

The event concluded with a commitment to continue this dialogue through the Our Urban Future webinar series, co-organized by UNEP and the City Diplomacy Lab. Subsequent sessions will focus on scaling successful initiatives, mobilizing investments, and strengthening the institutional systems that allow local governments to deliver long-term climate transformations. The series acknowledges that the impact of global commitments now depends fundamentally on action that reaches communities, neighborhoods, and territories—the domain where cities and regions exercise their greatest influence.

As the roundtable demonstrated, cities have moved beyond proving their relevance in climate action. The recognition achieved at COP30 reflects years of municipal leadership, network building, and concrete results. The question now is whether international institutions, national governments, and financing mechanisms will respond with the structural reforms, dedicated resources, and genuine partnership frameworks that this recognition demands.

The path from Belém to meaningful implementation requires more than goodwill—it demands institutional innovation, financial commitments, and political courage to empower the level of government closest to citizens with the authority and resources necessary to deliver the climate action that all communities urgently need. This first session of the Our Urban Future series made clear that the expertise, political will, and practical experience exist. What remains is building the multilevel governance architecture that can harness these assets effectively and equitably in service of a sustainable urban future for all.

Join us to advance this agenda and help shape the practical next steps for our shared urban future.

Published on November 18, 2025. Last updated on December 4, 2025.