The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy is the largest global alliance for city climate leadership, built upon the commitment of over 10,000 cities and local governments. These cities hail from 6 continents and 138 countries. In total, they represent more than 800 million people. With Regional and National Covenants of Mayors, cities can commit locally to act to climate change through the GCoM. Each Regional and National Covenant is a member of the GCoM and may profit from contributing to the world’s largest existing initiative supported by the European Commission and Bloomberg Philanthropies and acknowledge by the United Nations Framework Conference for Climate Change rather than to a standalone or new effort.
The overall objective of the action is to develop, monitor and lead climate and sustainable energy action and diplomacy globally through the local level, and thereby support the implementation of the Paris Agreement together with the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals and other UN initiatives focused on climate change and cities.
The purpose of this contract is as follows: Building upon the achievements of IUC, further roll out and strengthen the Regional and National Covenants of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, in the Americas, which is deemed strategic for climate and clean diplomacy outreach.
Expected results:
- Coherence between the activities conducted by The Americas Regional and National Covenants and the Global Covenant of Mayors umbrella initiative is ensured.
- Support the impact of The Americas Regional Covenants on local governments from important EU partners around the world thus furthering the EU’s influence and outreach as regards climate change policy and diplomacy, as well as economic cooperation and green business opportunities.
- Regional Covenants in the Americas are further developed and strengthened; local governments are supported in taking ambitious climate and clean energy commitments, and in transforming such commitments into practices.
- Increased visibility and greater awareness of the Covenant concept, the Regional Covenants and the Global Covenant of Mayors initiative is achieved.
- EU business opportunities are promoted.
Type of services provided:
- Analysis of the state of play in the US, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean of the Regional and National Governance systems established, of the stakeholders and the maturity of the local ownership of the GCOM initiative and the needs to ensure such an ownership.
- Coordinate steering committee meetings and secretariat for the National Covenants for Canada, USA and the Regional Covenants of Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Development of national and regional strategies to support the initiative through ad-hoc activities.
- Support the definition of Climate Action Plans (CAP)’s validation and/or qualitative feedback on CAPs.
- Facilitate and promote peer-level knowledge management, exchange and sharing.
- Coordinate a culture of exchange of best practices at regional and international level.
- Organise networking events and workshops.
- Communication activities to encourage more cities to commit to the GCoM.
- Visibility to emblematic cities that have managed to establish CAPs.
- Organisation of activities and specific events to promote technology transfer and international sustainable value chains, promote business matchmaking and highlight European examples among different solutions at city level.
- Helpdesk service for cities committed to the initiative in the whole continent.