08/12, 2.30 pm: Building partnerships and tracking progress – role of non-state and subnational actors

Non-state and subnational actors, such as local governments, businesses and civil society networks, are making commitments in great numbers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and to adapt to already occurring impact of climate change. This side event addresses two urgent questions. First, how do non-state and subnational climate actions perform? Second, how can such actions be strengthened in order to implement the Paris Agreement, and achieve higher ambition?

This event will see the launch of the first annual report of Climate Chance’s Observatory for non-state climate action which documents non-state and subnational actions through a series of briefs analysing the recent evolution of sector-based emissions, and a review of the main local governments’ networks including case studies of territories committed to mitigation goals. Moreover, the event will discuss insights of the 2018 and 2017 UNFCCC Yearbook of Global Climate Action on the actual performance of non-state and subnational actions since 2013. Special attention will be given to the role of climate action in the global South.

Challenges to boost climate action remain. For instance, climate actions are unevenly distributed; currently recorded actions still do not fill the ambition gaps left by current policies; and important stakeholder groups, for instance rural communities, small and medium enterprises – especially in developing countries – remain underrepresented. The event will therefore discuss how multi-stakeholder dialogue and policy instruments and toolkits, for instance through the International Climate Governance Coalition (ICGC), could meet needs and challenges to climate action and seize opportunities to enable non-state and subnational climate actions worldwide.