On 17 June 2025, while formal negotiations at the UN Climate Change Conference (SB62) unfolded in Bonn, a powerful moment took place behind closed doors: The 2nd CHAMP UNFCCC Focal Point Dialogue, convening CHAMP Endorsing Governments, together with Friends of CHAMP and supporting partners, including the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency.

Held under the framework of Daring Cities 2025 Bonn Dialogues, and building on the success of the first CHAMP endorsers roundtable in 2024, this second meeting provided a platform for national government endorsers and their strategic partners to assess progress and guide CHAMP’s implementation toward COP30.

Currently endorsed by 75 countries, COP28’s Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP) for Climate Action has a clear goal: Enhance multilevel cooperation to collectively pursue efforts for the next round of submitting revised Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) due in 2025 at COP30.

As time is running out, with less than five months to go until Belém, only  22 out of 193 Paris Agreement signatories have submitted their updated Nationally Determined Contributions. But there’s a silver lining: Among those that have submitted, 11 countries endorsing the CHAMP initiative are leading the way in recognizing the importance of subnational action. Notably, Brazil, the UAE, Canada, and the UK have gone a step further, explicitly referencing CHAMP in their revised climate plans.

The message echoed across the room was clear: The “review” phase is coming to a close; now it’s time to shift into implementation. To achieve this, local and subnational governments are essential, proving that structured, institutionalized spaces for multilevel collaboration must become the norm, not the exception.

If we are serious about responding to the climate emergency, neither national governments nor local and subnational actors can do it alone. Both must actively foster direct engagement with one another. This collaboration is essential to identify where local contributions can accelerate implementation and ensure the submission of enhanced, inclusive, and actionable NDCs.

Local action is already under way

From Morocco to Japan, from Brazil to Germany, national governments described how they are working with their cities and other subnationals in their national climate plans. From Taraba State (Nigeria) to the City of Adelaide (Australia) from Muğla Metropolitan Municipality (Türkiye) to Quebec Government (Canada), leaders shared their innovative efforts to relate to national effort. Whether through circularity strategies, energy transition, post-disaster recovery, or low-carbon district planning, subnational leaders are actively redesigning systems and building climate-resilient communities.

Their experiences reaffirmed a simple truth: Action is already taking place at the local level. But without national alignment and coordinated support, these actions risk remaining fragmented or under-leveraged. Several participants indeed emphasized that national policy often lags behind local innovation, and that national governments must catch up, not only with financial resources but with systems that connect the dots.

As one participant put it: “Local governments will not delay delivery of solutions due to delays in global processes. What they need is a system that helps scale them.”

In the meantime, many national governments present reaffirmed that achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement requires not only collaboration with subnational authorities but institutional commitment to multilevel action. Countries like Germany, Canada, France, and Japan outlined how their updated NDCs already embed subnational contributions, citing implementation mechanisms like national climate funds, integrated adaptation planning, and local consultation frameworks. France, for instance, stressed ecological planning through regional COPs and local engagement strategies, while Germany highlighted its national Climate Fund Gap program, which supports feasibility studies and strategies for over 300 cities. Brazil reiterated that without a solid architecture of collaboration, neither ambitious targets nor resilient communities are achievable.

The tools we have to bring structure

The heart of the roundtable conversation centered not on problems, but on existing solutions. In the room, CHAMP was repeatedly cited as the clearest signal yet that multilevel action is moving from the margins to the mainstream.

In addition, the LGMA experience has brought to the table complementary mechanisms that help operationalize CHAMP commitments in practice. Town Hall COPs, for example, are hosted by local governments to ensure that the voices of cities and regions inform national climate planning; they are a practical and inclusive approach to embedding subnational perspectives. Ministerial Meeting(s) on Urbanization and Climate Change provide a high-level space for direct engagement between ministers and mayors, creating the political alignment needed to implement climate strategies. Robust reporting platforms are also key to track progress, inform policy, and attract investment. One example is the CDP-ICLEI Track, a platform that enables local governments to report emissions and climate actions in a standardized and transparent way.

In addition, in February 2025, the C40 Cities and GCoM Bloomberg Philanthropies Joint Programme launched the CHAMP Finance Guidebook, designed to strengthen cooperation between national and subnational governments in the planning, financing, implementation, and monitoring of climate strategies.

Each of these tools reflects a growing understanding that climate policy cannot succeed unless it is grounded in real places, lived experiences, and implementable solutions. The spirit of mutirão, Brazil’s rallying cry for COP30 rooted in collective effort for the common good, was strongly felt throughout the conversation.

A new climate architecture

The meeting underscored a shared priority for the COP30 process: Not just more participation by subnationals, but a new architecture of collaboration. Several calls emerged:

• Structured multilevel roundtables must become institutionalized components of the UNFCCC process, not occasional side events;
• Multilevel action and urbanization should be further mainstreamed into the COP30 agenda, with concrete good practices CHAMP endorsers or.others alike;
• UNFCCC, COP Presidencies, and national governments must formalize mechanisms – from town halls to funding access – that empower cities and other subnationals to shape and deliver climate goals.

This is not about shifting power, but about building bridges. Local and subnational governments are already shouldering much of the climate burden. The question is no longer whether they belong at the table, but how to ensure that the table is stable, resourced, and effective, with delicious food through a diverse recipe enjoyed by all.

Looking towards Belém

With COP30 in Brazil on the horizon, momentum to implementation is already building. The roundtable marked a milestone; not a high-level announcement, but an alignment of practice and purpose. The people in that room, representing a mix of geographies, political systems, and climate realities, demonstrated that multilevel governance is not a slogan. It is the only viable path to implementation.

The task now is to scale what works. CHAMP, Town Hall COPs, and data platforms like CDP-ICLEI Track offer the structure. What is needed is consistent support to embed them in the global process.

From Bonn to Belém, the message is simple: Local and subnational governments are ready to accelerate national climate actions. The world cannot afford to leave their experience, energy, and innovation on the sidelines.

This blog was written by Matteo Bizzotto with contributions from Yunus Arikan and edited by Barbara Riedemann, ICLEI World Secretariat.

Photo credit: ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability