COP27 | Now or never: territorial leaders in action

The localisation and territorialisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are essential to achieve positive effects on the ground, but they have not yet materialised, say PLATFORMA and CEMR in a common position published ahead of COP27 in Sharm-elSheikh, Egypt.

The documents lists 10 «key points», to be addressed to the UN, the EU and the national governments negotiating the climate agreement. These include territorial leadership, city diplomacy, decentralised cooperation or the exchange of experiences and good practices as solutions to the fight against climate change.

The 10 «key points»:

1. Delivery on the Paris Agreement is running behind schedule, and it is critical to act now to fulfil the following four key policy objectives at all levels of government: mitigation, adaptation, energy transition and
   biodiversity.
2. Local and regional governments (LRGs) need a supportive regulatory and governance framework to implement subnational climate action.
3. LRGS need sustainable subnational financing and suitable resilience and recovery plans to tackle the climate crisis.
4. Local and regional leadership and actions, also with companies and citizens, are key to strengthening the work at the international level within the UNFCCC and in collaboration with global partners.
5. LRGs need to give greater emphasis to the importance of biodiversity and nature-based solutions in policymaking.
6. Energy independence from fossil fuels must be developed to meet our needs and abide by international solidarity principles.
7. Climate change inequalities can be overcome by implementing climate justice and social equity.
8. City diplomacy, decentralised cooperation among cities and regions worldwide, exchange of experience and best practice at local level all help in disseminating local solutions and know-how, thus strengthening local climate-related policymaking and actions.
9. Adaptation takes on outsized importance in developing countries and especially on the host continent of Africa with its high level of urbanisation.
10. The localisation and territorialisation of the Sustainable Development Goals are crucial to achieving positive impacts on the ground but have yet to transpire.

Read the full document.

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