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7 November 2022
Opening Statement of the LGMA constituency at COP27
Opening Statement of the LGMA constituency at COP27
“Mr. President, distinguished delegations,
I am Kobie Brand, the Deputy Secretary of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and am delighted to deliver this statement on behalf of the LGMA Constituency. Firstly, we would like to warmly welcome Mr. Simon Stiell as the new Executive Secretary.
On behalf of all African cities, towns and regions, I proudly welcome all COP27 delegations – 6 years later – back in Africa – the most rapidly urbanising continent on our planet.
Here in Sharm El-Sheikh, the LGMA calls on UNFCCC Parties to mark COP27 as the start of the multilevel action era, by building on the multilevel, cooperative action of the Glasgow Climate Pact.
This year, the LGMA has been proudly supporting the inclusive efforts of the COP27 Presidency and UNHabitat on a new initiative for inclusive multilevel action and we ask Parties at COP27 to:
Endorse this Sustainable Urban Resilience for the next Generation (SURGe) Initiative, a multilevel climate governance initiative, focused on five tracks: buildings and housing; urban energy; urban waste and consumption; urban mobility; and urban water.
To Welcome and act upon the first-ever UNFCCC COP27 Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change.
And to Mobilize Climate Emergency Finance for accelerated implementation of the Paris Agreement, including in recognition of sustainable urbanization as a non-market mechanism under Art 6.8, engaging subnational development banks, addressing loss-and-damage and supporting Project Pipeline Facilities.
We invite all delegates to our LGMA Multilevel Action Pavilion in the Blue Zone. Our mayors, governments and their networks will demonstrate to you their ambition and readiness for scaled up access to finance, multilevel governance, climate adaptation, low carbon solutions, resilient food systems, nature-based solutions – and their clear, urgent focus on implementation – the defining focus for COP27.
The world needs brave, kind yet bold leaders to respond to the climate emergency. In Sharm El-Sheikh, the climate community must demonstrate that leaders can deliver on these expectations, in the spirit of multilevel action.”
See the full programme of ICLEI Africa sessions, both at the LGMA Multilevel Action Pavilion and UCLG Africa & ICLEI Africa pavilion, here.