Cities hold the key to countering a range of environmental threats but need more financing and must be bettered integrated into multilateral governance structures.
That was the message delivered by governments, experts and other stakeholders on 23 February as they met in Nairobi, Kenya for the United Nations -supported Cities and Regions Summit.
The gathering explored how urban areas can become models of sustainability by using less energy, increasing the use of nature-based solutions, and cutting down on pollution, among other things. Conclusions from the summit will contribute to deliberations at the sixth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) that begins 26 February in Nairobi.
Since cities are home to half the world’s people, their sustainability is considered crucial to addressing a triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.
Cities are uniquely positioned to support the implementation of global accords known as Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals, humanity’s blueprint for a better future. Yet the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework are among the very few MEAs that engage local and regional governments.
Participants at the Cities and Regions Summit said bolstering subnational government participation would be key to addressing the triple planetary crisis. They called for the formal involvement of subnational governments in MEAs and for resources to help cities implement those accords.
Financing gap
There is an urgent need for cities and regions, especially in low- and middle-income countries, to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis. Yet, urban areas face many challenges in attracting finance. This is linked to a range of issues, including poor creditworthiness, inadequate financial alignment with national governments and a lack of access to multilateral development finance.
"Local governments often face socio-political barriers that impede their access to resources and funding necessary to effectively address the triple planetary crisis," said Josefina Belmonte, Mayor of Quezon City, the Philippines, and a past UNEP Champion of the Earth. “Cities need new innovative financial mechanisms and governance structures that can scale up rapidly and efficiently.”
Public funds, public-private partnerships and green bonds are novel ways of raising the capital cities require, experts said in Nairobi.
UNEP is working with its partners, including the Greener Cities Partnership with UN-Habitat, to mainstream environmental considerations into local, regional, national, and global urban policymaking. UNEP is also promoting the engagement of subnational governments in the implementation of MEAs.
About the Cities and Regions Summit
The Cities and Regions Summit is a recurring event that has taken place since UNEA-4 in 2019. The summit aims to bring together mayors and other representatives from cities and regions worldwide to engage in a collaborative dialogue on the pressing issues of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution; and relay the voices of local and regional governments to the Member States participating in the UNEA.
The sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) will take place from 26 February to 1 March 2024 at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. As the world’s highest decision-making body on the environment, UNEA aims to help restore harmony between humanity and nature, improving the lives of the world’s most vulnerable people. UNEA-6 will focus on how multilateralism can help tackle the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste
