United Nations Environment Programme
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Summit
UNEA-6 Cities and Regions Summit
23 February 2024
Nairobi, Kenya
- Overview
- Agenda
- Event Summary
Date: 23 February 2024
Time: 10:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 18:00 EAT
Location: In-person (Conference Room 14, UNEP HQ, Nairobi, Kenya) // Virtual participation possible (Zoom link will be provided to registered participants)
Organizers: UNEP, UN-Habitat, UrbanShift World Resources Institute, C40 Cities, ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability
Watch the recording: UNEA-6 Cities and Regions Summit (youtube.com)
Discover the Concept Note for more information.
Description:
Today, 55 per cent of the world’s population live in urban areas. By 2050, that percentage is expected to rise to 68 per cent. Urban areas are major contributors to climate change, accounting for 70 per cent of CO2 emissions. Climate change, environmental pollution, natural and man-made disasters disproportionately affect cities due to the high density of the population. It is essential to address these challenges using integrated approaches to ensure sustainable urban development, especially in low-income countries where the pace of urbanization is projected to be the fastest.
The United Nations Environment Programme, in collaboration with UN-Habitat and other partners – held the Third Edition of the UNEA-6 Cities and Regions Summit as an associated event to the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6).
The UNEA-6 Cities and Regions Summit discussed various ways to strengthen multi-level governance and urban financing to support effective and inclusive multilateral actions to address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
This year, the Summit brought together more than 80 attendees in person and 500 attendees online, including national and subnational leaders, subnational officials, and representatives from city networks, international organizations, civil society, and the private sector.
MayorJoy Belmonte, Mayor Quezon City, Philippines then reported back on the Summit's findings and outcomes during to Opening of the UNEA-6 Plenary. Watch her intervention.
Objectives:
This 3rd edition of the Summit contributed to deliberations at the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly. It showcased concrete examples of cities and regions supporting their national governments in achieving the SDGs and the MEAs’ goals. This Summit focused on two key questions regarding the cities and regions’ engagement: (1) strengthening the multi-level governance (MLG) for achieving the SDGs and the MEAs goals; and (2) Funding and financing to accelerate the local climate and environmental actions.
Supporting Partners:
Bloomberg Philanthropies; the Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance (CCFLA); the SDSN Global Commission for Urban SDG Finance, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG); the Penn Institute for Urban Research (PennIUR); the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the UN Regional Commissions (ECA, UNECE, ECLAC, ESCAP, ESCWA), and the Global Cities Hub.
Discover the Pictures and Presentations of the UNEA-6 Cities and Regions Summit.
Cities and Regions Summit Opening
Time: 10:00-10:40 EAT
This session will officially open the meeting, 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 finding 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.
Explore the Agenda for more information on speakers and panel sessions.
Ms. Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UNEP, and Mr. Michal Mlynar, Acting Executive Director, UN-Habitat, take a picture on the stairs at the UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, with speakers and participants of the UNEA-6 Cities and Regions Summit.
Nairobi, Kenya, February 23, 2024 – The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and its partnersi successfully held the Third UNEA Cities and Regions Summit as an associated event to the Sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6). Coming at a time when the world is called upon to accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), the UNEA-6 Cities and Regions Summit provided a unique meeting point to connect local, national, and global leaders on the environmental front, bringing together more than 80 attendees in person and almost 500 attendees online.
The Summit showcased concrete examples of cities and regions working together with their national governments to achieve global environmental and sustainability targets, thereby building on the outcomes of COP28 and responding to the supplementary theme of UNEA-6: “Effective, Inclusive, and Sustainable Multilateral Actions to Tackle Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss and Pollution,”.
The discussion focused on two key objectives: strengthening multi-level governance for achieving SDGs and the MEAs’ goals; and funding and financing to accelerate local climate and environmental actions. With commitments and recommendations towards increasing the visibility of cities and regions in the implementation of global environmental goals, the Summit laid the ground for the upcoming UN Summit of the Future, the Twelfth World Urban Forum (WUF12), the 2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP16), and the 2024 Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP29), along with other major events in 2024 with important implications for the environment and sustainable urban development.
Browse the Outcome Document. Read the full Event Summary.
Mayor Joy Belmonte, Mayor Quezon City, Philippines reported back on the Summit's findings and outcomes during to Opening of the UNEA-6 Plenary. Watch her intervention.
