The 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) of the United Nations takes place from 6-18 November 2022 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, under the title ‘Uniting the world to tackle climate change.’ The planning of the built environment across urban and regional scales are a fundamental part of the climate crisis but can also act as solution or arena thereif. The significance of the mitigation and adaptation of urban areas has been highlighted extensively in chapter 6 ‘Cities, Settlements and Key Infrastructure’ of the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
While the urban scale and the role of local authorities could become more prominent at the COP, a range of meetings, discussions and side events are organised that put urban issues at the centre. We attempted to collect some of them below, indicating in which zone* they take place and which ones are accessible online. We include some related to urban mobility but also refer to a comprehensive list of transport events of SLOCAT. Did we forget some? Reach out to us via
A central date will be the 17th of November where ‘the first-ever Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change at a UN Climate Change Conference of Parties, focusing on housing, urban development, multilevel action in relation to climate change’ will take place. It will bring together ’Ministers for Housing, Urban Development, Environment and Climate Change, representatives of local and regional governments through the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency to the UNFCCC, as well as non-party and non-state actors such as academia, civil society, non-governmental organizations, think tanks, the private sector, urban networks, multilateral banks, UN agencies and intergovernmental organizations, and other UNFCCC Observers, and international and national media and press. The Ministerial Meeting will reinforce the commitment of the Paris Agreement for multi-level climate action and will commit to accelerated climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation action and local climate finance. Further the Sustainable Urban Resilience for the Next Generation (SURGe) Initiative will be launched at the event.’ (Source: unhabitat.org/un-habitat-at-cop27)
Download our report of the first week.
You want to read more about the 'urban COP'? Here some recommendations:
- Daring Cities 2022/ICLEI’s Call to Action: Making multi-level governance during COP27 a success
- Want to learn more about local authorities, cities and regions, and their role at the COP? Read Ulrich Graute’s blog.
- Hannah Abdullah's COP27’s Missed Opportunity: Failing to Engage Cities (Source: https://www.gmfus.org/news/cop27s-missed-opportunity-failing-engage-cities)
- Jorn Verbeeck’s article ‘Towards a 'Community of the Practitioners' and 'Cities as a Service'
- UN-Habitat's participation, preparations, and events at COP27 (Source: https://unhabitat.org/un-habitat-at-cop27. Concept note for download: https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2022/09/cop27_sustainable_cities_initiative.pdf)
- How to get around sustainably in Sharm El Sheikh? Check out Transport for Cairo’s COP27 Digital Travel Guide.
- Lost in how COP works, what everything means, and how to start getting involve? Have a look at the COP27 YouthKit.
Still want more information? Sign up for the daily newsletter by the LGMA constituency: https://iclei.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a3a47048051ae2f2024de7834&id=ef67f18e96
Overview of events dealing with urban and mobility issues (times in EET)
|
Time |
Event |
Location |
Hybrid |
| 6 November 2022 | |||
|
6/11 |
LGMA* Press Conference (more info) |
Press Conference Room Luxor Area B |
|
| 7 November 2022 | |||
|
7/11 |
Enhancing Cities Livability and Sustainability in the face of Climate Change (more info) |
Singapore Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
7/11 |
Climate Resilience Lessons from Cities Worldwide (more info) |
Singapore Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
| 7/11 18:00-19:30 |
LGMA COP27 Global Townhall (more info) | Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone | Yes |
|
8 November 2022 |
|||
|
8/11 |
Daily briefing for LGMA* constituency (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
8/11 |
Urban Africa at COP27 Opening (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
| 8/11 10:00-16:00 |
Cities Day at UNFCCC Global Innovation Hub (more info) | UNFCCC Global Innovation Hub Pavilion, Blue Zone | |
|
8/11 |
Multi-stakeholder climate actions in East Asia (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
8/11 |
Climate empowerment and city diplomacy: Exploring the potential of a thriving alliance (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
8/11 |
Investing in Resilience (more info) |
Resilience Hub, Blue Zone |
|
| 8/11 16:00-17:00 |
Build the Future: Accelerating Climate-Compatible Infrastructure in Africa (more info) | International Development Finance Club Pavilion | Yes |
|
9 November 2022 |
|||
|
9/11 |
Daily briefing for LGMA* constituency (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
9/11 |
SURGe Initiative Preparatory Event (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
9/11 |
Urban Africa in Action at COP27: Unpacking the urban climate finance journey: Linking policy and planning to a pipeline of bankable projects (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
9/11 |
Driving innovation in response to the climate emergency: How international organizations can play complementary parts in enabling an expanded climate innovation agenda for cities and regions (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
9/11 |
Investing in the Net Zero Potential of Cities – the next steps: a C40 and Cities Commission for Climate Investment (3Ci) event (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
9/11 |
Opportunities for African cities to meet their transport and urban planning needs in a greener, more sustainable way (more info) |
Maritim Jolie Ville Resort & Casino, Sharm El Sheikh |
|
|
10 November 2022 |
|||
|
10/11 |
Daily briefing for LGMA* constituency (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
10/11 |
Urban Africa in Action at COP27: Improving resilience in African cities: The role of youth and research (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
10/11 |
A spotlight on states’ and regions’ contributions to the Global Stocktake – ‘Getting It Done’ (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
10/11 |
Equity and climate solutions in cities: Accelerating actions by key actors (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
10/11 |
Clean air catalyst: A multi-level approach to accelerating action on air quality and climate in cities (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
10/11 |
Green Finance for Active Mobility (more info) |
Benelux Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
10/11 |
Climate justice in Brazilian Cities (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
11 November 2022 |
|||
|
11/11 |
Daily briefing for LGMA* constituency (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
11/11 |
Digital Solutions for Urban Resilience (more info) |
Egyptian Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
11/11 |
Urban Africa in Action at COP27: Harnessing technology to accelerate data-driven climate action in Africa (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
11/11 |
Financing the Transition to Climate-friendly & Inclusive Transport (more info) |
Climate Action Space, World Bank Pavilion |
|
|
11/11 |
Unlocking a Pathway to Low Carbon Transport in African Cities Without Compromising Economic Growth (more info) |
Maritim Jolie Ville Resort & Casino, Sharm El Sheikh |
|
|
11/11 |
Financing low carbon, resilient and inclusive cities through multi-level governance (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
11/11 |
The Future of Climate Finance is Subnational (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
11/11 |
The road to carbon neutrality and resilience in cities: a journey of innovation, technology adoption, and partnerships development (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
| 11/11 16:30-18:00 |
Construire des villes résilientes à l'ère des migrations et du changement climatique : Le point de vue des jeunes (more info) | French Pavilion, Blue Zone | |
|
11/11 |
Building for a Billion: Implementation Lab |
Buildings Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
11/11 |
Resilience in Latin American cities: Loss and damage at the subnational level (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
| 11/11 18:30-20:00 |
Launch of the Summary for Urban Policymakers of the IPCC 6th Assessment Report | Side Event Room 1 (Akhenaten), Area B, Blue Zone | Yes, UNFCCC platform |
|
12 November 2022 |
|||
|
12/11 |
Daily briefing for LGMA* constituency (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
12/11 |
Feeding the city for healthy people, landscapes, and climate (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
12/11 |
How can national and local governments scale finance for urban climate adaptation and resilience? (more info) |
Resilience Hub |
|
|
12/11 |
Circular agriculture for climate emergency (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
12/11 |
Urban Africa in Action at COP27 Integrating a Food-Systems Lens into Discussion of Urban Climate Resilience Initiatives (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
12/11 |
Collective Climate Action for Water Resilience in Cities (more info) |
Water Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
12/11 |
The adaptation innovation Lab (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
12/11 |
APEX*/Green Cities Launch (more info) |
Climate Action Space, World Bank Pavilion |
|
|
13/11 |
Smart and Resilient Cities – How to Revolutionize Urban Environments (more info) |
World Climate Summit, Park Regency Hotel |
|
| 14 November 2022 | |||
|
14/11 |
Daily briefing for LGMA* constituency (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
14/11 |
SURGe* Initiative Preparatory Event (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
14/11 |
Urban Africa in Action at COP27: Building urban water Resilience in Africa: Accelerating investment and catalyzing for Impact (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
14/11 |
The Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and the climate-biodiversity nexus: what it means for Cities, Subnational and Local Governments and Non-State Actors (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
14/11 |
Achieving Energy Security, Independence and Sustainability with Renewables focused Local Action (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
14/11 |
Catalyzing Finance for Strengthened Water Resilience in African Cities (more info) |
Lotus Action Room |
|
|
14/11 |
Being local, acting global: International experiences with multilevel climate action (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
14/11 |
Leveraging Land Value Capture to Achieve Climate Goals in Cities (more info) |
Virtual |
|
|
14/11 |
Why Full, Meaningful, and Equal Participation of Women and Youth in Party Delegations will ensure #MultiLevelActionDelivers (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
14/11 |
Iberoamerican green cities (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
15 November 2022 |
|||
|
15/11 |
SLOCAT Transport Day at COP (more info) |
Blue zone, Multilevel Action Pavilion |
Yes |
|
15/11 |
Accelerating Cities Climate Action through Innovative Solutions, Public-Private Collaboration and Finance Access (more info) |
French Pavilion |
|
|
15/11 |
Urban Africa in Action at COP27: Taking charge of Africa’s oceans and blue resources to mitigate the effects of climate change (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
15/11 |
Cities stepping up to the energy crisis: Launching the energy access and poverty pillar of the GCoM* common reporting Framework (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
15/11 |
The Global Covenant of Mayors Multilevel Climate Action Playbook (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
| 15/11 15:30-16:45 |
The Power of movement – Clean transport for healthy cities and communities | WHO Pavilion, Blue Zone | |
|
15/11 |
Cities at the Forefront of Climate Change: Leverages for Adaptation (more info) |
Israeli Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
16 November 2022 |
|||
|
16/11 |
Building from the Summary of IPCC AR6* Summary for Urban Policymakers From Science to Action (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
16/11 |
Urban Africa in Action at COP27: Building urban resilience in Africa: Harnessing nature-based solutions (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
16/11 |
Climate-Smart Urban Mobility - Where to Invest? (more info) |
IsdB Group Pavilion |
|
| 16/11 11:30-12:30 |
Climate risks and climate mobility in intermediate cities (more info) | Climate Mobility Pavillon | No |
|
16/11 |
Hearing the voice of subnational governments: Learning from the Edinburgh Declaration for biodiversity (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
16/11 |
Cities Race to Zero one year on: Driving climate action now (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
| 16/11 15:00-15:45 |
Multilevel Climate Action: Localizing NDCs to Unlock More Ambitious Climate Solutions in Cities | UN Egypt Pavilion, Blue Zone | |
|
16/11 |
The inclusion of women and girls in climate action and financing (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
| 16/11 17:00-18:00 |
Opportunities for Local Resilient Urban Planning at the local level | One UN Egypt Pavilion, Blue Zone | |
|
16/11 |
United States Best Practices in Funding Multilevel Action: Lessons from U.S. Local Leaders Implementing National Climate Legislation (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
17 November 2022 |
|||
|
17/11 |
Daily briefing for LGMA* constituency (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
| 17/11 9:00-10:30 |
Climate-proof Infrastructure, solutions for lowcarbon and resilient development in Africa | Africa Pavilion, Blue Zone | |
|
17/11 |
Scaling up Sustainable Urban Mobility Interventions (UN-Habitat) |
UN Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
17/11 |
African cities in the face of the challenge of climate risk management and urban development: Developing an effective Emergency Preparedness Response (more info) |
UCLG Africa Pavillion, Blue Zone |
|
| 17/11 10:00-12:00 |
Ministrial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change | Meeting Room 20, Blue Zone | |
|
17/11 |
DARAJA* and Early Warning for All in Our Overheating Cities (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
17/11 |
How to Create a Cycling City |
Action hub, Blue Zone |
|
|
17/11 |
City Region Food Systems: Strengthening Resilience Against Multiple Shocks and Stresses (more info) |
Food and Agricultural Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
| 17/11 11:00-12:30 |
Les mobilités urbaines et interurbaines au service de la décarbonation des villes : défis et opportunités (more info) | French Pavillion, Blue Zone | |
|
17/11 |
Net Zero Carbon Buildings in Cities: Getting the Policy Right (more info) |
GlobalABC Buildings Pavilion |
|
|
17/11 |
Urban Africa in Action at COP27: Climate-related trade-offs: How do African cities navigate complex decision making during the climate change emergency (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
| 17/11 12:30-14:00 |
Scaling up local voices and solutions from informal urban settlements: Governance and finance models that advance climate justice and urban resilience (more info) | Resilience Hub / Blue Zone | No |
|
17/11 |
Thriving – Making Cities Green, Resilient and Inclusive in a Changing Climate (more info) |
Climate Action Space, World Bank Pavilion |
|
|
17/11 |
The Pact for the Future of PLANET: a strategic vision to realise multilevel climate action (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
17/11 |
Marrakech Partnership Implementation Lab: Actionable Adaptation Plans (more info) |
Lotus Room, Action Zone |
|
| 17/11 14:00-14:45 |
Tackling Urbanization, Climate and Poverty in Cities through Circular Economy (more info) | Action Hub, Blue Zone | Yes |
| 17/11 14:50-15:40 |
Leading Actions towards Zero Carbon Cities (OECD/Japan | more info) | Japan Pavilion, Blue Zone | |
|
17/11 |
Climate & Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) Asia (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
17/11 |
Nature based solutions and circular development strategies to address the climate emergency in Latin America (more info) |
Multilevel Action Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
|
17/11 |
Sustainable mobility and climate recovery through BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) |
Hall A, Green Zone |
|
|
17/11 |
Moving towards Sustainable Urban Mobility: Perspectives from Africa, Latin America and the EU |
European Commission Pavilion, Blue Zone |
|
| 18 November 2022 | |||
| 18/11 13:00-15:00 |
Italian Academia and Climate Adaptation Planning | Italian Pavilion, Blue Zone | |
A general overview of all main events is available here. Additional to main and side events, several days have a thematic focus. These are the following:
- 9 November: Finance Day
- 10 November: Science Day / Youth and Future Generation Day
- 11 November: Decarbonisation Day
- 12 November: Adaptation and Agriculture Day
- 14 November: Gender Day / Water Day
- 14 November: SLOCAT Transport Day (more info)
- 15 November: ACE* and Civil Society Day / Energy Day
- 16 November: Biodiversity
- 17 November: Solutions Day
* Some of the terms confuse you? At the end of the document, we try to explain some of them.
During and after the event, we will write on some issues more in detail. This builds, among others, on ISOCARP’s involvement at the COP26 in Glasgow and its extensive reporting to its members. For this year, we are looking for reports that are published for or during the COP, as well as conducting a range of expert interviews. Are you around and available to share your take on urban issues at COP27?
You can find more up-to-date details on the LinkedIn page of Coordination Team member Tjark Gall.
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Glossary (in progress)
ACE: Action for Climate Empowerment
APEX: Advanced Practices for Environmental Excellence in Cities (more info)
Blue and green zone: The areas of the COP are organised based on access rights. The primary separation is into the blue and green zone. To access the blue zone, one needs an accreditation from the UNFCC. The green one is openly accessible (after registration). Negotiations and many official events take place in the blue zone, while many pavilions and side events are in the green zone. The private sector is formally only in the green zone and also there has only access if a sustainable mission can be proven.
DARAJA: Means ‘bridge’ in Swahili, DARAJA is a service and partnership that aims to improve weather and climate information services (WCIS) (Source: https://globalplatform.undrr.org/conference-event/daraja-inclusive-city-community-forecasting-and-early-warning-service)
GCoM: Global Covenant of Mayors (Source: https://www.globalcovenantofmayors.org)
IPCC AR6: Sixth Assessment Report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Source: https://www.ipcc.ch/assessment-report/ar6/)
LGMA: Local Governments and Municipal Authorities Constituency (Source: https://www.cities-and-regions.org/about-the-lgma/)
SURGe: Sustainable Urban Resilience for the Next Generation (SURGe) Initiative will be launched at the event.’ (Source: unhabitat.org/un-habitat-at-cop27)
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Acknowledgements: Special thanks for the support to the Fondation CentraleSupélec, CentraleSupélec, and IRT SystemX.
Disclaimer: All the information provided on this page are compiled with best intentions but might not always be the most recent or free of errors. They are compiled by Co
