COP30 CEO, Ana Toni, on Tuesday, April 6, 2025, joined national and subnational government leaders at the Copenhagen Climate Ministerial to discuss the role of the CHAMP Coalition in delivering high-impact outcomes through urban climate initiatives.
The Roundtable tagged “The CHAMP Opportunity: Roundtable on Multilevel Climate Action” showcased the practical benefits of involving cities and regions into national climate strategies. It demonstrated how multilevel cooperation can enhance policy effectiveness, accelerate the net zero transition, and support sustainable economic development.
The CEO of this year’s United Nations Climate Conference in Belém, Brazil, highlighted the Brazilian government’s own initiative to support local action: the recently launched Green and Resilient Model Cities program.me Other showcased examples were Colombia’s NDC participatory process, and the Financing Locally Led Climate Action (FLOCA) project from Kenya – the country has recently released its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) with strong multilevel governance focus.
Ana Toni, COP30 CEO, said: “States and municipalities are on the frontlines of implementation: they deliver basic services to the population, manage infrastructure, and engage directly with communities. In response to the COP30 Presidency’s call for a Global Mutirão (Brazilian term originating from Tupi-Guarani meaning “collective action toward a shared goal.”) against Climate Change, subnational governments play a key role in implementing mitigation and adaptation measures, and are essential providers of climate solutions. Only through integrated, collective efforts can we tackle the climate emergency and protect future generations.”
The meeting was hosted by the Government of Denmark, in collaboration with the COP Presidencies of Azerbaijan (2024) and Brazil (November 2025), as part of the 2025 Copenhagen Climate Ministerial. The roundtable, moderated by Andy Deacon, Co-Managing Director of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM), brought together all national government leaders attending the Ministerial, including Chilando Chitangala, Mayor of Lusaka, Zambia, representing the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) constituency.
Chilando Chitangala, Mayor of Lusaka, Zambia, said: “In Lusaka, we live the realities of climate change every day. Severe flooding and heatwaves continue to strain our infrastructure and services, but we are taking bold action to build resilience. Cities are on the frontlines, but we cannot act alone. We need to be part of the decisions that shape climate policy at every level. This is a vital step in ensuring that locally led solutions are implemented at scale. Without local climate action, global ambitions will remain out of reach.”
Ole Thonke, Denmark’s Climate Ambassador, said: “We’re proud to be among the early endorsers of CHAMP, and we see multilevel climate action as essential to delivering on our goals. Through different initiatives, agreements and partnerships, we are fostering dialogue and collaboration between government, industry, and local communities. With all 98 municipalities committed to developing and implementing climate plans, Denmark is showing how collaboration at all levels can drive real change — from accelerating the green transition in energy, transport and agriculture to setting new global standards with the world’s first livestock emissions tax. Together, we are proving that national targets are achieved through local leadership and shared responsibility.”
Also in attendance at the Roundtable were Gino van Begin, Secretary General of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and Pablo Vieira, Global Director of the NDC Partnership.
Coalition for High Ambition Multi-level Partnerships – CHAMP
Launched during COP28 in 2023, the Coalition for High Ambition Multi-level Partnerships (CHAMP) brings together national governments committed to working more collaboratively with their subnational governments in the design, financing and implementation of climate action. This includes the NDCs submission due at COP30, and other climate strategies such as National Adaptation Plans or Long-Term Low-Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS). To date, 75 national governments have endorsed the CHAMP coalition, committing to strengthening subnational climate action.
Andy Deacon, Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) Co-Managing Director, said: “The roundtable is a pivotal moment to demonstrate how multilevel climate cooperation is already delivering results – and how the CHAMP Coalition is helping shape more inclusive, effective national climate plans. By bringing together national and subnational actors, we’re not just aligning policies with ambition – we’re building the foundations for implementing action that actually matters to change people’s lives. As we look beyond 2025, this collaborative approach will be key to driving effective progress on fighting the climate crisis.”
Gino Van Begin, ICLEI Secretary General, speaking as the Focal Point of the LGMA Constituency, said: “CHAMP has been an incredibly important strategy to embed multilevel action into the heart of national climate governance. Throughout 2025, ICLEI and the LGMA Constituency will mobilize to advance ambitious multilevel climate action by connecting cities and regions to new national climate plans through mechanisms like CHAMP, Town Hall COPs and the COP30 Urban Climate Ministerial together with the COP30 Cities and Regions Hub in Belém.”
Guidance Report: Increasing Finance for Subnational Climate Action
Earlier this year, C40 Cities and GCoM released a report, during the Green and Resilient Urbanshift Africa Forum 2025, in Nairobi, Kenya, titled How National Governments Can Increase Finance for Subnational Climate Action. This report was developed with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, as a resource for national government members CHAMP, to provide them with implementation options, proven financial techniques, and coordination frameworks that can significantly increase finance for subnational climate action – in line with their CHAMP pledge.
Access the full Report here.