STATEMENT: COP30 Elevates Major Efforts to Unite Local, Regional and National Governments on Climate Action

STATEMENT: COP30 Elevates Major Efforts to Unite Local, Regional and National Governments on Climate Action

Belém, Brazil (November 12, 2025) - As part of the COP30 Action Agenda, Brazil announced a suite of efforts to accelerate climate action across all levels of government, from local to regional to national. The Government of Brazil launched the Multilevel Governance Solutions Acceleration Plan on November 11, and Brazil and Germany were announced as the first co-chairs of the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP), marking the start of the global coalition's implementation beyond COP30.

The COP30 Presidency and UNEP Cool Coalition also launched the Beat the Heat initiative, with 185 cities and 83 organization partners signed on.

Below is a statement from Rogier van den Berg, Global Director, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities:

"Countries' climate goals are simply not possible without national and local leadership working together. At COP30, we're seeing more and more countries recognize that cities, states and regions are fundamental to delivering climate action.

"The CHAMP initiative - with commitments from 77 countries and the European Union - has sparked a sense of shared purpose across every level of government. With Brazil and Germany named as co-chairs in a new governance structure and stronger national climate commitments (NDCs) in place, the initiative now moves toward a new phase of implementation.

"Over the last two years, we have already seen the growing impact of CHAMP. The latest UNFCCC NDC synthesis report shows that 80% of NDCs submitted now reference subnational actors - an increase of almost 20% since the last round. Countries like Colombia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda are prioritizing this collaboration with local actors.

"This collaboration is not just about plans on paper but addresses the major crises the world faces today, from inadequate housing to extreme heat. The Beat the Heat initiative is a prime example of delivering local solutions with national support. With recent record-breaking heat waves and flooding, urban communities have been on the frontlines of worsening climate impacts, with vulnerable residents hardest hit.

"Cities account for 80% of global GDP and 70% of global emissions while housing the majority of the world's people. The pathway to any successful climate action that delivers for people and our planet runs through our cities - working hand in hand with regional and national governments.

"We know what the solutions are. Now it's time to scale them in thousands of cities across the world."