The high-level closing plenary of the fourth Ministerial Meeting on Urbanisation and Climate Change marked a historic moment for cities and regions at COP30, bringing together ministers, mayors, governors, community leaders, and global partners to reaffirm the central role of urbanisation in accelerating climate action.
Co-hosted by the COP30 Presidency, Brazil’s Ministry of Cities and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the meeting brought together ministers, mayors, governors, civil society, and global partners to chart a course for multilevel implementation. Originally scheduled for a press conference, the event’s outcomes were shared directly from the plenary following a precautionary evacuation of the venue.
The meeting marked the culmination of the Urban Days at COP30 and was organised in collaboration with UNFCCC, the Local2030 Coalition, the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency, CHAMP partners, and the Baku Continuity Coalition.
COP30 President Ambassador, André Corrêa do Lago, reaffirmed the need to place cities at the centre of climate negotiations, with particular emphasis on adaptation efforts.
UN-Habitat Executive Director, Anacláudia Rossbach, reaffirmed the critical role of local entities in implementing climate agreements. “We know that the goals of the Paris Agreement cannot be achieved without local, urban, and multilevel climate action – and without your commitment: governors, mayors, and communities,” she said.
Key outcomes of the meeting included:
- Ministers and mayors agreed on concrete steps to strengthen coordination across national, regional, and local levels – including mechanisms to localise NDCs locally, expand access to climate finance, and scale up integrated action in cities.
- New analysis from UN-Habitat shows cities are now at the heart of national climate plans (NDC 3.0), with the number of plans featuring strong urban content nearly doubling – and a clearer focus on implementation across housing, transport, and finance.
- Participants called for greater role of local and regional governments as key partners in implementing the Paris Agreement goals and ensuring urban priorities are embedded in future climate action.
The meeting also highlighted the impact of ongoing initiatives such as CHAMP (Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships), SURGe (Sustainable Urban Resilience for the Next Generation), and Multisectoral Actions Pathways (MAP) to Resilient and Healthy Cities, showing how coordinated urban action can accelerate climate results.
The closing plenary reaffirmed that cities and regions are indispensable to the implementation of NDCs 3.0 and to bridging the gap between global ambition and local action. By aligning the climate and urban agendas, participants charted a pathway for more equitable, inclusive, and resilient urban futures.
The outcomes of the Ministerial Meeting will inform the broader COP30 negotiation agenda and feed into global discussions leading up to the World Urban Forum in Baku, ensuring continuity across presidencies and reinforcing the call for sustained investment in cities and communities as engines of climate solutions.