Description:
Urban areas are major contributors to climate change, accounting for 70 per cent of CO2 emissions. Climate change, environmental pollution, and natural and man-made disasters disproportionately affect cities due to the high density of the population.
The UNEA-6 Cities and Regions Summit is an Associated Event with the Sixth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6). The Summit will bring together mayors and other representatives from cities and regions worldwide to engage in a collaborative dialogue on the pressing issues of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
Objectives:
This Summit will focus on two key questions regarding the cities and regions’ engagement:
Cities and Regions Summit Opening
Time: 10:00-10:40 EAT
This session will officially open the meeting, and set the context and objectives of the Cities and Regions Summit and its agenda. It will also highlight the critical role played by subnational governments in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and global environmental goals set out in Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs)
Thematic Session 1: Multilevel governance, a key element of effective environmental governance
Time: 11:20-13:00 EAT
The first session will discuss experiences of the existing institutional arrangements which support the engagement of subnational actors through support from the national and international levels and strengthen the multilevel governance approach. Within the framework of the localization of the SDGs, it will particularly focus on institutional arrangements and policy processes under the Paris Climate Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Thematic Session 2: Unlocking finance for sustainable urban transformation
Time: 15:00-17:05 EAT
The second session will discuss how to facilitate access of subnational governments to development and climate finance, building on the findings of the Global Commission for Urban SDG Finance, and recent publications, such as the CCFLA report “Accelerating Urban Climate Finance in Low- and Middle- Income Countries: An important strategic dimension of MDB reform”.
Closing: Empowering subnational governments to achieve global environmental goals
Time: 17:05-18:00 EAT
Summarizing the key messages from the discussions, the closing session will embed the discussion in the wider framing of the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and their localization. It will outline key recommendations to enable subnational governments to take an increased role in achieving global environment goals and call all actors to scale up their ambition and create the enabling conditions for change.