Multilevel Action Pavilion at COP 26

The Multilevel Action Pavilion at COP 26 will hold events that follow the daily themes set out by the COP Presidency for the main proceedings. The Pavilion will tie in with these themes and be a place for debate, knowledge exchange, and success stories of sub-national climate action and collaboration with other levels of government.

The Pavilion, organized by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and the Scottish Government, will hold side event sessions from 31 October to 13 November both in-person in the Blue Zone and online to enable broader participation.

What Can Participants Expect at the Multilevel Action Pavilion?

Over 60 sessions will host national discussions and decisions, drawing out locally relevant lessons. Throughout the week, a series of hybrid events, called the Time4MultilevelAction Dialogue, will create a space for knowledge and experience exchange on strengthening national climate action plans across all government levels. Government representatives, from the local to the national levels, will discuss how they intend to raise climate ambition to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

During an event on the Edinburgh Declaration on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, an outcome of the Edinburgh Process, speakers will share their experiences regarding biodiversity and climate action and invite the audience to discuss the role of sub-national governments in coalescing action on these two mutually-dependent themes.

The event ”Further and Faster – local climate action and the role of the Global Covenant of Mayors,” will provide a snapshot of what the 11,000 city members who form part of the Global Covernant have achieved thus far through real-life examples of climate initiatives and green recovery approaches.

Other events include:

• Glasgow Women’s Leadership on Gender Equality and Climate Change;
• Citizens’ Recommendations for Fair and Effective Action on Climate Change;
• The City Investment Imperative for Net Zero;
• Delivering a Just Transition—the Role of Cities, Regions, and Devolved Governments; and
• Game On: City Ambitions Towards Future-Proof and Equitable Mobility Systems.

How Do Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Fit into COP 26?

At the Earth Summit in 1992, nine stakeholder groups, including local authorities, were designated as essential partners in society for the implementation of the global sustainability agenda. The Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency has represented local and regional governments at processes under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) since COP 1 in 1995. The LGMA Constituency brings the voices of cities, regions, towns, and counties to the negotiations and has strengthened these voices over the past two and a half decades.

At COP 25 in Madrid in 2019, LGMA announced its Roadmap Towards COP 26, “Towards Multilevel Action COP,” with a subsequent title “Time4Multilevel Action in the Age of Climate Emergency.” Through the Roadmap, LGMA has streamlined its seven pillars for achieving multilevel action throughout and after COP 26 into four outcome-oriented focus areas. These include:

1. Multilevel Action as the new normal for the second phase of the Paris Agreement;
2. Urbanization as a priority for climate action and finance;
3. Just climate action for all through 2030 to 2050; and
4. Robust LGMA engagement across all UNFCCC processes.

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) will provide coverage for the following sessions (times in GMT):

• 1 November: 13:00-16:30: Time4MultilevelAction High Level Dialogue plus opening of the Pavilion High Level Segment
• 2 November: 11:30-13:00: Glasgow Women’s Leadership on Gender Equality and Climate Change
• 3 November: 10:00-11:30: The City Investment Imperative for Net Zero
• 4 November: 13:00-15:00: Time4MultilevalAction Dialogue: Strengthening Multilevel and Inclusive Governance for Climate Action
• 5 November: 11:30-13:00: We have agreed. Will you? Citizens' Recommendations for Fair and Effective Action on Climate Change
• 6 November: 13:00-15:00: Hearing the voice of subnational governments: Learning from the Edinburgh Declaration for biodiversity
• 8 November: 10:00-11:30: Under 2+ MoU Signing
• 9 November: 15:00-16:30: Delivering a Just Transition—The Role of Cities, Regions, and Devolved Governments
• 10 November: 10:00-11:30: Game On: City Ambitions Towards Future-Proof and Equitable Mobility Systems
• 11 November: 11:30-15:00: Local Government and Municipal Authorities COP 26 Multilevel Partnership
• 12 November: 9:00-11:30: EU Green Deal: From Local to Global