Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM) partners will join more than 100 representatives from governments, municipalities, development banks, associations of municipalities working to combat climate change, and international organisations in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia) on 25-26 September 2019. The workshop, led by IUC-Latin America and the Caribbean (IUC-LAC), will focus on financing sustainable urban development and climate action.

IUC-LAC, in partnership with the European Union, fosters high quality, sustainable and resilient urban planning in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, turning such plans into funded projects remains a challenging hurdle. The September workshop seeks to clarify funding options, mechanisms and tools to ensure that IUC-LAC cities can put their plans to action.

In addition to difficulties in accessing climate finance, which is usually allotted by national authorities, cities face a lack of local technical capacity, lack of experience in developing bankable projects, and a shortage of alternative financial mechanisms.

The workshop will address these challenges, focusing on mobilising investments for sustainable urban development. Working groups will enable participants to delve more deeply into specified topics: “City-to-city cooperation: implementation of the New Urban Agenda through local action,” or “The Global Compact of Mayors for Climate and Energy in Latin America and the Caribbean: from commitment to action."

The meeting will be attended by representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay, as well as participants from Europe, including representatives of the European Commission.

Header image by IUC-LAC