We hosted 70+ alliance partners and signatory cities from around the world for the first-ever “GCoM Secretariat Open House” from 19-22 November. Organized in parallel with the annual meetings of the European Union International Urban Cooperation program in Brussels, the meetings and sessions hosted at the Secretariat included:
- Focus Group on Climate Tools organized with Bloomberg Associates;
- Communications Workshop on GCoM’s One Voice strategy;
- Presentations, discussions, and feedback on GCoM’s Data4Cities, Innovate4Cities, and Invest4Cities initiatives;
- Updates from the Global Secretariat including the 2019-2020 Strategic Plan and developments for Phase II of the initiative;
- Presentation and working sessions with WRI on the Data Portal for Cities and Google on the Environmental Insights Explorer;
- Cross-regional city exchange with Global Covenant of Mayors cities from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, Peru, and the United States;
- Meeting of GCoM Regional Secretariats and Help Desks; and
- bi-lateral meetings with GCoM regional city network partners, helpdesks, and cities.
COP25
The Secretariat is collaborating with the European Commission and regional secretariats to build the program for the Third Annual Global Covenant of Mayors Day at the EU Pavillion. This year’s GCoM Day will take place on December 9 and will focus on: Moving from planning to implementation, and showcasing the impacts of local climate and energy action across sectors, leveraging multi-level governance and partnerships to accelerate action, and scaling up implementation of ambitious action by securing adequate financing and innovative solutions.
Data4Cities
- GCoM will release its annual impact report at COP25 which is currently being finalized and reviewed by partners. This years’ report will highlight the unprecedented call for action, including new climate emergency declarations by global cities and will also focus on what is possible if cities work together with their national government partners to deliver climate action.
- Met with a delegation from the GCoM USA ‘Regional and Metro-scale Climate Leaders’ initiative during the GCoM Open House to discuss priorities and challenges of climate action at the metropolitan level and explore how tools, like theEnvironmental Insights Explorer, can support their GCoM commitment.
Invest4Cities
Ahead of COP25, we are continuing to work with donors and partners of the City Climate Finance Gap Fund to further a hosting arrangement, governance, and project criteria. We are also working with the European Investment Bank on the next steps of the Global Climate City Challenge to provide technical assistance to select cities.
