Global Greens Statement on Sustainable Cities at COP27

UN-Habitat with the COP27 Presidency convened 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.

Seventy percent of cities worldwide are already dealing with the effects of climate change. However, though cities are a big driver of planet-warming emissions, they are also engines of climate action and at the forefront of delivering solutions.

Addressing climate change challenges, the COP27 Presidency, in collaboration with UN-Habitat and with the facilitation of ICLEI, developed the Sustainable Urban Resilience for the next Generation (SURGe) Initiative, seeking to achieve sustainable and resilient urban systems through strengthen the implementation of the climate agenda in and with cities; unlocking urban climate finance; capacity-building and ensuring equity.

A hybrid stakeholder consultation workshop had taken place earlier in Cairo, Egypt, with more than 120 participants, discussing main action points ahead of COP27. The participants included representation from national governments such as Austria, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Morocco, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK as well as UN Organizations, civil society, academia, private sectors and Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs).

Global Greens delegates have been following the progress of this and have produced a Global Greens Statement on Sustainable Cities and Urban Development. Cities are critical for human wellbeing and robust systems and processes must be implemented immediately in order to mitigate the climate crisis, and adapt to its effects.