On 6 December 2023, a delegation from DG REGIO actively participated in the Second Edition of the Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change organized by UN Habitat the COP28 Presidency at the Conference of the Parties (COP) 28 in Dubai. The intervention took place within the segment dedicated to “Multilevel Action and Partnerships” and was made by Normunds Popens, Deputy Director-General for implementation and international relations, representing the European Commission at this occasion.
- 14 December 2023
This high-profile event brought together a diverse assembly of Ministers, local and regional leaders, financial institutions, and non-government stakeholders. The aim was to share solutions and multilevel actions for sustainable urbanisation across policy sectors, and identify and strengthen levers to increase and accelerate deployment of climate finance for cities and local governments aligned with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. The focus was on joint policy and financing for sustainable urban development in various policy sectors, including buildings, waste, transport, water, energy, and nature.
Discussions underscored the indispensable role of local governments and the pivotal leadership of mayors, emphasizing the imperative of their active involvement in the pursuit of inclusive climate action. Multilevel climate action was highlighted as a fundamental strategy for bridging these local voices into broader decision-making processes. With the transformative aspirations of the 2030 Agenda increasingly focused on urban areas, and the continued relevant of the principles of the New Urban Agenda, strong partnerships and shared ownership are indeed becoming crucial to achieving the 1.5-degree target.
In this context, the DG REGIO delegation reiterated the European ambition to mobilize all territories in the green and just transition through sustainable and integrated development. To achieve this, DG REGIO is actively working on providing and improving support for cities tailored to local contexts. The Cohesion Policy, a cornerstone of EU investment policies, commits over 379 billion euros in seven years towards sustainable development, a significant proportion of which is allocated to urban transition. The European Urban Initiative (EUI), designed for all EU cities, is a tool set up to enhance innovative and integrated approaches which cities can benefit from to notably support their climate action.
The REGIO delegation stressed the centrality of multi-level governance and multi-stakeholder efforts for sustainable and integrated development. Through strong international partnerships, the EU supports collaboration between governance levels to implement the goals of the New Urban Agenda and the Paris Agreement. DG REGIO highlighted notably its cooperation with the OECD and the World Bank on the role of small cities and functional areas in wider territorial development, as well as the action of the European Commission in the Southern Neighbourhood region, where it supports cities in the development, implementation and financing of their energy and climate action plans.
The European Commission finally expressed eagerness to exchange knowledge and learn from global partners, highlighting the collaborative approach necessary for developing robust policies and ensuring effective implementation. Emphasizing the importance of collective efforts, we concluded by calling for common goals for a green and territorially balanced transition that leaves no place or no-one behind.
Outcomes of this meeting will feed into the proceedings and deliberated decisions of the Conference.
The rest of this day dedicated to cities at COP28 also allowed the REGIO delegation to join relevant sessions on financing green cities and water resilience of urban areas, notably correlated to the themes of the Urban Agenda for the EU.