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United Nations Environment Programme
  • Overview
  • Agenda

Date: Monday, 1 December 2025 

Time: 11:00 - 13:00 CET

Location: Hybrid, UNEP Paris Office, 27 rue Francois Bonvin, Paris, France

Register to attend in person.

Register to attend online.

This opening roundtable of the UNEP and City Diplomacy Lab webinar series will explore how subnational climate action can accelerate the transition toward green, resilient, and inclusive ecosystems. Building on priorities emerging from COP30 in Belém, the discussion will focus on strengthening local delivery mechanisms, enabling agile financing, and bridging global and local priorities through multilevel governance. Participants will include policy practitioners, local elected officials, UN experts, and development partners who will share practical insights on translating commitments into transformative change. Attendees can expect an interactive dialogue on consolidating project pipelines, fostering partnerships, and connecting public and private investments to empower urban communities worldwide.

The first panel will focus on international perspectives from key organisations such as UNEP, C40, and ICLEI. The second panel will give the floor to local leaders contributing to a greener and more sustainable urban future. 

Participation is by invitation only. For any questions or if you are interested in participating, please contact marie.hartmann@un.org and lorenzo.kihlgrengrandi@un.org.

11:00-11:07 - Opening Remarks

Hongpeng Lei, Chief of the Mitigation Branch, Climate Change Division, UNEP 

11:07-11:10 - Short Welcome by moderator 

Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi, City Diplomacy Lab

11:10-11:40 - Panel 1: Key insights from international actors involved in urban sustainability discussions 

Panelists are invited to share their perspective on the core theme of the event, namely the contribution of local authorities, within a multilevel governance framework, to advancing climate ambitions in the post-COP30 context. Each intervention is limited to five minutes. 

  • Bernhard Barth, Programme Coordinator, Climate Change and Urban Environment, UN-Habitat
  • Hélène Chartier, Director of Urban Planning and Design, C40 - in-person
  • Yunus Arikan, Global Advocacy for Cities and Regions, ICLEI
  • Delphine Le Duff, Task Team Leader- Local authorities and urban development Division, AFD - Agence Française de Développement - in-person
  • Kadri Jushkin, Ministry of Regional Development and Agriculture of Estonia 

11:40-12:30 - Panel 2: On-the-ground perspectives from local elected officials and local technical experts. 

Panelists, drawing on the local and international climate action of their respective authorities, are invited to reflect on how local governments can most effectively translate ambition into measurable progress in the post-COP30 context. Each intervention is limited to six minutes. 

  • Arnaud Ngatcha, Deputy Mayor of Paris (TBC)
  • Edouard Hervé Moby Mpah, Mayor of Douala IV
  • Anne-Marie Jean, Vice-President of the Eurometropolis of Strasbourg
  • Céline Papin, Deputy Mayor of Bordeaux
  • Sameer Unhale, State Joint Commissioner of Municipal Administration, Government of Maharashtra
  • Sture Portvik, Manager for Electro Mobility, City of Oslo
  • Nisreen Daoud, Manager of Sustainable Development and Amman Resilience Unit, Greater Amman Municipality* (TBC) (6 minutes)
  • Takaaki Ito, Executive Director, Zero Carbon and GREEN×EXPO Promotion Bureau, City of Yokohama* (6 minutes) Moderation: 7 minutes Total: 55 minutes

12:35-12:55 - Discussion and Q&A Session 

Questions from both in-person and online audiences

12:55-13:00 - Wrap-up

Fresh Water
Did you know?
Freshwater makes up only 2 per cent of all water.

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