The Global Covenant of Mayors expands its presence in Latin America

The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy is becoming more and more visible across Latin America. The regional website has been updated and now shows all committed cities, as well as information on the Global Covenant of Mayors for Latin America and the Caribbean (GCoM-LAC) governance structure.

The GCoM-LAC has been structured with a broad governance to better support the signatories, and is composed of a Secretariat and a Regional Steering Committee. In Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Colombia, the Global Covenant counts on the National Consultative Committee (NCC) that encompasses city networks, associations, ministries and other relevant organisations, according to the country’s specificities. National Consultative Committees are currently being established in Ecuador and Peru.

In Colombia, the first meeting of the NCC took place at the European Union Delegation in Bogota on 2 March. In this meeting, strategies and activities that will take place during the year in Colombia were discussed and will soon be defined. In Chile, on 8 March, the National Consultative Committee gathered for the second time, at the Ministry of Environment, to agree on the annual strategy and activities. 

On the occasion of the Continental Forum of Intermediary Cities, held by the Global Network of Cities, Local and Regional Governments (UCLG) in collaboration with the Municipality of Cuenca (Ecuador) on 2 March, the Global Covenant of Mayors was mentioned within the Cuenca Declaration as a commitment to be taken by the cities and regions attending the event and as a pathway to achieve UNFCCC goals.

In Argentina and Brazil, an increasing number of municipalities are committing to the Global Covenant. In Mendoza (Argentina), during the 3rd Iberian-American Forum of Mayors (III Foro Iberoamericano de Alcaldes), eight Argentinian cities and one Mexican city joined the GCoM. Currently, there are 98 cities in Argentina and 75 in Brazil that have joined the GCoM-LAC or that have reconfirmed their commitment.

The Global Covenant of Mayors in Latin America and the Caribbean is engaging more local governments in the region, day by day. At present, it counts more than 200 signatory cities across 18 countries.