The Summit of Local Government Associations, organized by the Union of Municipalities of Turkiye (UMT) in Brussels, addressed the role of local governments in climate policies and the shared priorities to be brought to COP31.
The opening session featured speeches by Fabrizio Rossi, Secretary General of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yahya Can Dura, Director of Foreign Relations at UMT.
Rossi emphasized that effective climate action depends on gaining public trust and working closely with local governments. Speaking on behalf of UMT, Dura highlighted the significant responsibilities assigned to municipalities in addressing climate change, stressing that local governments must be provided with powers and financing opportunities commensurate with their responsibilities.
Noting that COP31 presents an important opportunity to incorporate the perspectives and experiences of local governments into climate policies, Dura provided information on the preparation of UMT’s position paper.
He explained that the document had been developed through a series of consultation meetings and a survey completed by more than 330 municipalities, as well as national and international municipal associations. Dura added that the views and recommendations expressed during the Summit would also be taken into consideration in further developing the document.
Following Dura’s remarks, Ariel Dekovic, representing the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities Constituency (LGMA), presented LGMA’s position paper for COP31 and shared recommendations on strengthening local government participation in climate negotiations.
The first session, moderated by Dr. İnan İzci, featured Gökşen Şahin from ICLEI Europe and Anja Katalin De Cunto, representative of the C40 Cities Brussels Office. Discussions focused on access to climate finance, project development capacity and the participation of local governments in decision-making processes.
The second session, moderated by Burcu Özüpak Güleç, featured Jelena Drenjanin, Chair of the European Committee of the Regions’ Working Group on Türkiye, as the keynote speaker.
The session addressed the importance of ensuring that the voices of smaller municipalities and rural areas are represented in decision-making processes, the role of local government associations in joint advocacy and knowledge exchange, and the need to strengthen institutional and financial cooperation among municipalities.
Participants also emphasized the importance of establishing permanent platforms and monitoring mechanisms that bring together shared local needs and priorities.
During the closing session, participants were invited to share their views on UMT’s position paper and its key messages for COP31.
The recommendations received are expected to be incorporated into the document, with the aim of bringing the shared priorities of local governments into the COP31 process.