This December, countries from across the world meet in Madrid (Spain) for the 25th Conference of the Parties of the United National Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP25). Past meetings have led to landmark agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, which was the result of COP21.

International meetings like the COPs are increasingly recognising the key role that cities play in not only setting climate goals, but also in achieving them. This will be highlighted at COP25 on 9 December at the 3rd annual Global Covenant of Mayors Day ("GCoM Day"), taking place at the EU Pavilion.

This 3rd edition of GCoM Day will focus on implementation of climate plans, including accelerating action and scaling-up impact. Governments at all scales are committing to – sometimes highly ambitious – climate goals. However, of course, these goals will not be enough to address our current state of climate emergency unless they are paired with implementation and results.

GCoM Day will also launch key publications on cities' global impact with respect to climate action.

The event will explore the role of cities in the current global landscape through three distinct themes. The first portion of the day – following opening remarks from the Global Covenant of Mayors as well as the European Commission's Ditte Juul Jørgensen, Director-General, Energy, and Mauro Petriccione, Director-General, Climate Action – will look at how to accelerate local action. The session will examine the role of cities in supporting and speeding-up implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and achieving climate neutrality. Moderated by Eero Ailio, Directorate-General for Energy, representatives from UN-Habitat, Chefchaouen (Morocco), Arima (Trinidad and Tobago), Turku (Finland), Covenant of Mayors Europe, and Kyoto (Japan) will discuss local examples, challenges, and paths forward for how to make local action count.

The second portion of GCoM Day will explore how innovation and partnerships, including with respect to financing mechanisms and through research, can help ensure that ambitious goals are met. GCoM cities spanning diverse contexts including Brazil, Finland, Indonesia, Lebanon and South Africa will take the stage alongside representatives from organisations including the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, World Bank Group, European Investment Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and European Commission Directorate-Generals Research and Innovation, and International Cooperation and Development. The three innovation and partnership panel discussions will be moderated by Carla Montesi, European Commission, Director Planet and Prosperity, Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development; Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary-General, United Cities and Local Governments of Africa; and Patrick Child, European Commission, Deputy Director-General, Directorate-General Research and Innovation, respectively.

Finally, as Chile is the official host of COP25, a regional spotlight will be placed on local climate action in Latin America. GCoM cities from Mexico, Chile, Brazil and Peru – including many that are highly active in IUC city-to-city cooperation – will share their experiences moving from commitments to implementation in the Latin American context.

Be sure to follow the IUC Twitter feed on 9 December for real-time updates on GCoM Day's main outputs.