CHAMP Subnational Advisory Council Convenes at COP31 to Elevate Local Leadership and Set 2027 Priorities

Mayors, governors, and regional leaders from around the world gathered during COP31 to release the CHAMP COP31 Statement and ensure local climate leadership is included in international climate negotiations.

Antalya, Türkiye (11 November 2026) - The Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP) for Climate Action convened the second meeting of its Subnational Advisory Council (SAC) . City mayors, governors and regional leaders from across five continents gathered during COP31 to identify shared priorities for the year ahead, strengthen cooperation between subnational and national governments, and endorse the COP31 CHAMP Statement.

Established at London Climate Action Week 2026, the CHAMP Subnational Advisory Council works to elevate the perspectives of city, state, and regional leaders directly to the CHAMP coalition's 80 endorsers. The CHAMP SAC is made up of five mayors and three regional leaders serving for two years. It is co-facilitated by the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) and the Under2 Coalition, in close collaboration with C40 Cities and the World Resources Institute (WRI), which serves as the Secretariat of the CHAMP Coalition.

The meeting focused on opportunities where multilevel cooperation between national and subnational governments can deliver climate action, where current policies are falling short, and where the Council can input their experiences and expertise most effectively in the year ahead.

The CHAMP SAC and the CHAMP Steering Group jointly released the CHAMP COP31 Statement on the need to strengthen collaboration across all levels of government , marking the first time national and subnational leaders from the coalition have spoken with one voice on how to translate climate ambition into delivery. It calls for stronger multilevel governance, deeper integration of subnational governments into global climate processes and greater investment in local implementation.

The statement sets out priorities across the three pillars of the CHAMP Implementation Roadmap:

• Strengthening multilevel climate governance , including greater recognition of subnational governments within the Second Global Stocktake (GST2) process and stronger use of local evidence and expertise in assessing climate progress;
• Catalyzing partnerships for local delivery , ensuring that Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and sectoral initiatives can be implemented through coordinated action across levels of government; and
• Scaling up and unlocking finance , including strengthening project preparation support, connecting local investment pipelines with financing opportunities and increasing access to climate finance for cities, states and regions.

Anne Hidalgo, Chair of the CHAMP Subnational Advisory Council & GCoM Global Ambassador said:

"Cities and regions are delivering climate action every single day - by building affordable, climate-resilient housing, addressing the impacts of extreme heat and weather events, and ensuring vulnerable communities have access to clean and reliable energy. The Subnational Advisory Council exists to ensure this ambitious local action helps shape international goals and priorities, and that national governments and subnational leaders plan, finance and deliver together. Our session today outlined where this partnership can make the greatest collective difference over the next twelve months and set a direction for CHAMP signatories to follow."

Ambassador Antônio Da Costa, CHAMP Co-Chair and Chief International Advisor at Brazil's Ministry of Cities, said:
"Climate goals are only meaningful if they are positively impacting people's lives. Cities, states and regions are where many climate solutions are delivered, from resilient infrastructure to clean mobility and adaptation. The CHAMP COP31 Statement is a call for national governments and subnational leaders to work as true partners, aligning ambition with implementation and turning climate commitments into tangible results for communities."

Governor Eduardo Leite, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, said:

"Subnational governments have a decisive role to play in turning global climate targets into tangible results for people. What brings us together in this Council is the shared understanding that national ambition and local delivery must be aligned to progress climate action at the scale it is needed."

Minister Thekla Walker, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, said

"Climate commitments made at the national level are only as strong as the systems in place to implement them locally. Today's CHAMP Subnational Advisory Council session sought to ensure subnational leaders are not simply informed of decisions, but are shaping them. That is the kind of multilevel governance the Paris Agreement requires."

Mayor Mohamed Sefiani, Chefchaouen, Morocco said:

"The second CHAMP Subnational Advisory Council meeting honed in on the pressing barriers slowing implementation to deliver solutions. Unlocking climate finance for cities and regions is a critical priority that ​​CHAMP endorsing countries must seriously work towards. This is a subnational priority that requires communication with national governments to achieve."

Mayor Alfredo Coro, Del Carmen, Philippines, said:

" Serving on the CHAMP Subnational Advisory Council reinforces a fundamental truth: national climate targets cannot be achieved without frontline, vulnerable and active local governments at the decision-making table. CHAMP was established precisely to foster this high-ambition multilevel partnership, and PhilLOCAL is that vision brought to life in the Philippines. This collaboration is testament to just, inclusive, and localized governance - connecting climate science, culture, digital tools, and financing opportunities with smaller, highly vulnerable island and coastal municipalities like Del Carmen."

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About C40 Cities

C40 Cities is a network of nearly 100 mayors of the world's leading cities working to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis and create a future where everyone, everywhere, can thrive.

Mayors of C40 cities are committed to using a science-based and people-focused approach to limit global heating in line with the Paris Agreement and build healthy, equitable and resilient communities. We work alongside a broad coalition of representatives from labour, business, the youth climate movement and civil society to support mayors to halve emissions by 2030 and help phase out fossil use while increasing urban climate resilience and equity.

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About the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM)

GCoM is the largest global alliance for city climate leadership, uniting a global coalition of over 14,000 cities and local governments and 100+ supporting partners. The cities and partners of GCoM share a long-term vision of supporting voluntary action to combat climate change and towards a resilient and low-emission society. GCoM serves cities and local governments by mobilizing and supporting ambitious, measurable, planned climate and energy action in their communities by working with city/regional networks, national governments, and other partners to achieve our vision. Led today by UN Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions Michael R. Bloomberg and European Commission Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera, the coalition comprises cities across 6 continents and 150 countries, representing over 1 billion people or more than 13 percent of the global population.

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About the Under2 Coalition

The Under2 Coalition is the largest global network of states and regions committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest. Today, the coalition represents nearly 200 individual states, regions, provinces and subnational governments - a total of more than 270 actors, totalling more than 50% of global GDP. Climate Group acts as the Under2 Coalition's secretariat, supporting and advancing collective action.

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