The online session “The Global Covenant of Mayors: How to Join and to Engage” focused on enhancing cooperation between the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM) and the DivAirCity pilot and twin cities, presenting to them the application processes and highlighting strategies to support climate resilience. The meeting provided an interactive platform where representatives from three GCoM offices (Europe, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa) and cities from around the world discussed challenges, shared best practices, and explored resources for local climate adaptation projects.
Main Points of Discussion:
- Strengthening City Collaboration: Emphasis was placed on fostering partnerships and knowledge exchange between cities to address shared climate challenges. This included discussions on how twinning initiatives can facilitate the transfer of skills to improve project implementation.
- Project Planning and Funding: Participants explored avenues for securing funding and technical assistance external to DivAirCity, with a focus on the availability of resources for sustainable urban development. Cities were encouraged to use GCoM’s support channels for accessing technical expertise and financial resources.
- Localized Climate Solutions: The conversation highlighted the importance of developing climate strategies tailored to the unique contexts of each city. Examples included community engagement practices and solutions that respect local socio-economic and environmental factors.
- Challenges in Project Implementation: Several cities shared obstacles they face in project execution, including bureaucratic hurdles, limited budgets, and lack of specialized staff. Discussions focused on potential solutions and the role of leadership in driving successful outcomes.
- Role of GCoM in Facilitating Resources: GCoM was acknowledged for its role in providing access to resources and fostering partnerships, which are essential for supporting cities in their climate resilience efforts.
Main Lessons Learnt:
- There is a high interest among cities from all over the world in joining or interacting with the GCoM, as attested by the high participation rate in this event.
- The success of the event was also achieved by adapting the agenda and the presentations to the cities involved in DivAirCity and its Twinning Programme, rather than having a more general approach. Several conversations with the GCoM offices were held in the weeks prior to the event to understand which cities would have been present and their history of engagement with GCoM.
- Linked to the point above, adequate time is needed to organize an event that includes several regional offices of GCoM (at least one month of notice is necessary).
