Asia—Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate (GCoM) and Energy

Climate change is a global challenge that largely impacts urban life. Given that urban activities are major sources of greenhouse gas emissions, cities continue to be the key contributor to climate change. While being the main cause of climate change, cities are also most affected, which is visible in particular on basic services, infrastructures, housing, livelihoods, and health. In accordance with how cities are affected by climate change as well as how they contribute to it, the roles of cities and local authorities as hubs of innovation and creativity have gained increasing importance in preparing for, and adapting to, the increased risk posed by climate change.

The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) aims to strengthen the role of cities within the wider international scenario, and provide operational legs and tools for effective climate action as a global alliance of cities. More specifically, with an aim to support cities and local government in different geographical regions of the world, regional and national covenants are established to serve as local chapters of the broader GCoM alliance.

This project specifically targets Asian countries. Our team supports the GCoM in Asia, in particular East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. The action will encourage signatory cities and partners to further commit or new cities and urban stakeholders to join the GCoM alliance to share a long-term vision, where voluntary action to combat climate change and achieve a resilient and low-emission society is enhanced.

Sample Activities

• Support the national and regional covenants in prioritized countries, through the provision of the lump sums in line with the approved Strategies of the EU Support to the GCoM and relevant procedural, administrative, quality control, and overall project management tasks.
• Support the secretariats in Asia through dedicated resources, technical assistance, and methodological guidance and supervision and support to the help desk queries.
• Develop solid, long-term GCoM strategies in each regional and national covenant and in relation to prioritized countries within.
• Enhance synergies between national and regional covenants, regional GCoM Asia framework and global secretariat and other geographical GCoM contracts and related knowledge capitalization, exchange, and networking actions.
• Communication, knowledge sharing, visibility, and awareness-raising activities to enhance the outreach of GCoM and overall effects of EU local climate change diplomacy and GCoM.
• Support to a selected number of cities in the GCoM Asia region in taking and implementing the ambitious climate and energy commitments, focusing on “translation” of the commitments to the actions through target and priority setting based on their respective Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans.
• Link municipalities with businesses, and promotion of EU business, innovation, and technologies, as well as international value chains.