At the recently concluded Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, countries decided to move forward with engaging local governments in the global climate regime.

The decisions include (1) facilitating the exchange of experiences and good practices between local and subnational authorities, identifying and implementing opportunities to mitigate GHG emissions and adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change, and (2) organizing a specific forum within the framework of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, to be held in June 2014.

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, the largest network of cities for sustainable development, welcomes these results and intends to continue contributing through climate action programs, including the Resilient Cities Congress series, a global platform for urban resilience and adaptation to climate change held annually in Bonn, Germany.

On that occasion, Gino Van Begin, Secretary General of ICLEI, said, ”"With the results from Warsaw, nations confirm that local action is essential, and is one of the main factors in leveraging the transformation of our society towards low-carbon and climate-resilient development."”. In addition to being the Secretary General of ICLEI, Gino Van Begin is also a facilitator of the Local Governments' Roadmap for Climate.

”"November 21st, Cities Day"”

ICLEI was a key promoter of the engagement of Local Governments in the Warsaw process, which allocated unprecedented focus to local and subnational governments through the organization of the workshop on urbanization and the first dialogue between mayors and ministers, at the inauguration of the official Cities Day, November 21.

One of the most important moments on "Cities Day" was the dialogue between the ICLEI Member Mayors, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, and ministers from France, the Netherlands, the Marshall Islands, Nicaragua, and Poland. The ICLEI Member Mayors present were Geraldo Júlio de Mello Filho, from Recife, Brazil; Gustavo Petro, from Bogotá, Colombia; George Heartwell, from Grands Rapids, United States; Frank Cownie, from Des Moines, United States; Penny Ballem, from Vancouver, Canada; Councillor Ronan Dantec, from Nantes, France; Deputy Mayor of Bonn, Germany, Angelica Kappel; and the Mayor of Seferihisar, Türkiye, Tunc Soyer.

Prior to the 21st, ICLEI participated in the ADP workshop on urbanization, which provided a crucial contribution to the results of Warsaw for Cities. Opening the workshop, ICLEI's Global Head of Advocacy, Yunus Arikan, shared the vision that local climate actions can raise the level of global ambition, and emphasized concrete proposals that could fuel negotiations leading to a universal climate agreement in Paris 2015.

”"The Power of Local Action"”

“Cities are key players in addressing climate change. They are paving the way for our efforts to secure a low-carbon future that benefits both people and the planet.”, "This is what Ban Ki-moon said, positioning cities and local governments as the ultimate implementers of local climate action.".

According to the November 2013 report from the carbonn Cities Climate Registry (cCCR), 414 cities reported more than 4,000 climate actions implemented or underway by 2020. 63% of the emission reduction commitments are above 1% per year, exceeding the value even of the most ambitious national governments under the Kyoto Protocol.

Despite the impressive figures, ICLEI mayors advocated for the need for multi-level climate action and support so that they can reap the full potential of local climate action.

This call was reiterated on various interaction platforms in which ICLEI participated throughout COP19/CMP9. In addition to the traditional official side event with the UNFCCC, ICLEI also organized specific events with the Government of Indonesia, with GLOBE International in the European Union pavilion, and with the State of California in the central United States. ICLEI also collaborated with, among others, the World Climate Summit, the Sustainable Innovation Forum, and the City of Warsaw on events about cities.

Through these platforms, local and subnational governments have proven to be one of the most important catalysts for scaling up global efforts.

ICLEI analyzes the results of Warsaw 2013.

ICLEI recognizes the Warsaw results as a direct and immediate response from national governments to the proposals formulated by local and subnational governments in the Nantes Declaration of Mayors and Subnational Leaders on Climate Change in September 2013.

The Nantes Declaration outlines the climate advocacy strategy of local governments between 2013 and 2015, and welcomes the creation of the "Friends of Cities" group within the framework of the United Nations Climate Change Conference and the organization of Dialogues between Ministers and Mayors. It also includes the launch of a process for a local action plan in Warsaw 2013, to be completed in Paris 2015, providing specific openings for sustainable urban development in climate finance mechanisms and ensuring the vertical integration of local climate actions at the national level.

In the context of a global climate agreement in Paris 2015, countries decided to initiate or intensify domestic preparations for their national contributions.

ICLEI shares the view of Pascal Canfin, the French Minister of Development, who warned that "Without the Cities and local authorities on board, no agreement will be possible at Paris 2015".

Emphasizing the journey of local governments since 2010, Van Begin said: ”In 2010, in Cancun, we secured global recognition of local and subnational governments as governmental actors. After three years of intense efforts, we paved the way for the engagement of local and subnational governments in Warsaw.” ”By Paris 2015, we will strengthen this understanding through the mobilization of the necessary funding and technical assistance. This is not a choice, but common sense for national governments if they wish to ensure the success of their climate commitments,” Van Begin stated. He urged national governments to work with local and subnational governments, saying: ”Now is the time to ensure that Paris 2015 shifts direction towards a solid and robust Roadmap, so that we can rapidly scale up mitigation and adaptation actions at the local level.”.