📅 Local Leaders Forum 3-5 – November, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
📅 UN Climate Change Conference – 10-21 November, Belém, Brazil
Regions4 Position Paper
2024 was the hottest year on record, with each of the past ten years ranking as the warmest ever. From 48 °C heatwaves in India to record-breaking heat and wildfires in Andalucía and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes as in all southern Europe, from floods in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal to mounting losses across Latin America and the Caribbean, the cost of inaction is already here.
With the urgency of these crises, there is broad consensus that action must accelerate. At COP30, the Brazilian Presidency has introduced the spirit of mutirão– a call for collective, community-driven climate action – and the Action Agenda, which will show real solutions looking beyond national governments to include the many actors already implementing change on the ground.
Subnational governments – states, provinces and regions – are central to this approach. They are not just implementing national policies: they are driving innovation, enabling finance, and leading the way toward a just and resilient transition. With local solutions, they connect urban and rural areas, advance progress on climate and biodiversity, and work directly with communities to build just resilience.
COP30 is the moment to recognize subnational governments as indispensable partners in turning ambition into action. A just, resilient, and nature-positive future depends on their leadership.
Up to 40% of the global emissions gap to a 1.5°C future could be closed by 2030 through action by subnational governments (states, provinces, and regions).
72 % of subnational governments already have climate strategies that directly address adaptation.
With authority over land, water, forests, and coastlines, subnational governments are bridges between ecosystems and economies.
Only about 17% of adaptation finance currently reaches the local level, limiting its impact on the ground. Subnational governments are key actors in scaling up adaptation action, as they are already financing the transition, managing public investment programs and unlocking climate funding.
A just and sustainable climate future starts with subnational governments. It’s time to empower them to lead the way.
The science is clear: we’re on a dangerous path. The 2024 UNEP reports warn of a 2.6–3.1°C rise this century and a tenfold gap in adaptation finance. Adaptation is no longer optional – it’s urgent.
COP30 is the moment to recognize subnational governments as indispensable partners in turning ambition into action. A just, resilient, and nature-positive future depends on subnational leadership.
⭐ Lead co-organiser 🔵 Supporting partner
⭐ LOCAL LEADERS FORUM STATES AND REGIONS DAY | High Level Roundtable on Subnational Action
Date: 4 November
Time: 8:00 -18:00 h (local time)
Location: Museum of Modern Art / Museu de Arte Moderna, Av. Infante Dom Henrique, 85 – Parque do Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20021-140, Brazil
Organisers: Bloomberg, Regions4, Under2 Coalition, GCF, and others
Suggested hotels: Windsor Asturias and Prodigy Santos Dumont
Website: Local Leaders Forum
Regions4, in partnership with the Under2 Coalition and others, is shaping the agenda, securing interventions from high-level regional representatives, and convening a dedicated high-level event on states and regions.
🔵 GLOBAL INNOVATION FORUM
Date: 5-6 November
Time: TBC (local time)
Location: Colegio Brasiliero de Altos Estudos (CBAE), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Organisers: UGIH, State Government of Rio de Janeiro and others.
The Global Innovation Forum will provide a comprehensive platform for a diverse range of stakeholders to exhibit innovative climate and sustainability solutions, connect over shared challenges and opportunities, and collaboratively identify and address priority gaps in the deployment of scalable innovations. Register here.
Provisional programme: 3 – 6 November, Rio de Janeiro
Full Detailed Provisional Agenda of the LLF here: Local Leaders Forum – Subnational Agenda
Governor-Level / Regional Leaders attending:
Minister-Level / Secretary-Level Leaders:
For logistical and agenda questions, contact the lead organisers, Bloomberg and Under2Coalition:
Regions4 delegation from the 2nd of November to the 6th of November will be present in Rio:
Jordan Harris: jharris@regions4.org
Soraia Ribeiro: sribeiro@regions4.org
Jacqueline Abu, jabu@regions4.org
Agatha Tommasi: atommasi@regions4.org
⭐ HIGH-LEVEL ROUNDTABLE | From the Ground Up: Leveraging Subnational leadership and Investments to Deliver Climate and Nature Commitments
Date: 11 November
Time: 09:30 – 11:00 h (local time)
Location: Nature Pavilion, Blue Zone
Organisers: Regions4, GCF, Nature4Climate, Under2, ABEMA, and CoR
The high-level roundtable will spotlight subnational governments – states, provinces, and regions – as essential implementers of national climate and biodiversity goals. By translating national commitments into territorial action, subnational actors drive just resilience, biodiversity protection, and sustainable investments. The session will showcase how regions are advancing NDCs, NAPs, and NBSAPs through integrated, nature-positive approaches, setting the stage for COP31 ambition.
Open to negotiators, donors, national and subnational leaders and observers.
⭐ SIDE EVENT | Driving Action Through Subnational Leadership in Mediterranean Bioregions
Date: 11 November
Time: 16-17 h (local time)
Location: Spanish Pavilion, Blue Zone
Organisers: Regions4, Government of Catalonia, RCC, Mediterranean Climate Action Partnership (MCAP)
🔵 SIDE EVENT | Turning Collaboration into Local Action for Adaptation and Just Resilience
Date: 11 November
Time: 16:15–17:15 h (local time)
Location: Regional Climate Foundations Pavilion, Blue Zone
Organisers: Regions4, Climate Brazil Centre and the European Climate Foundation
🔵 SIDE EVENT | Thematic Hub Session: Cities and Regions Driving Climate and Biodiversity Integration: Tools for Action
Date: 12 November
Time: TBC (local time)
Location: COP30 Climate Action Hub, Blue Zone
Organisers: Regions4, ICLEI, RegionsWithNature, and CitiesWithNature
🔵 SIDE EVENT | Governor Roundtable: Climate and Forest Management
Date: 12 November
Time: 16-18 h (local time)
Location: AMBEA House (outside of Blue Zone)
Organisers: Regions4 and GCF
⭐NETWORKING RECEPTION | Turning Collaboration into Local Action for Just Resilience and Nature
Date: 12 November
Time: 18 h (local time)
Location: TBC outside of Blue Zone (TBC)
Organisers: Regions4 and GCF
This networking event will spotlight how territories and regional governments are bridging local solutions for climate and nature with global ambitions, fostering meaningful interregional exchange and collaboration.
On invitation.
⭐Donor Roundtable: Just Resilience Action Platform
Date: 13 November
Time: 12 – 13 h TBC (local time)
Location: Nature Pavilion, Blue Zone
Organisers: Regions4
Closed-door on invitation-only.
⭐ UNFCCC OFFICIAL SIDE EVENT | Innovative Approaches to Driving Climate Action: Subnational Leadership & Bioregional Collaboration in Climate Adaptation and Resilience
Date: 18 November
Time: 13:15 – 14:45 h (local time)
Location: UNFCCC Official Side Event, Room 5, Blue Zone
Organisers: Regions4, Government of Catalonia, RCC, Mediterranean Climate Action Partnership (MCAP)
OTHER PLANNED ACTIVITIES PENDING CONFIRMATION
⏳Press Conference | Positioning Health at the Centre of Adaptation Finance
Date TBD | Co-organised with Climate Trends, Global Climate and Health Alliance, Global Strategic Communications Council
This press conference will position health as an essential entry point for adaptation finance discussions. By elevating developed country leadership and frontline experiences, we aim to contribute to narratives on more equitable adaptation finance commitments- especially for developed country actors.
⏳ SIDE EVENT | Francophone Interregional Cooperation COOP’R: Territorial Experiences Combining Biodiversity, Climate, and Local Economic Development
Date TBD | Venue: Francophone IFDD Pavilion and Online
Description: This event aims to present the COOP’R interregional cooperation program (2023–2025), led by the International Association of Francophone Regions (AIRF), which engages 16 local governments in Africa and Europe in a joint effort around protected areas, participatory governance, and sustainable tourism. Through technical clusters (Guinea, Cameroon, France) and a series of thematic webinars, Francophone regions have acquired new skills and initiated concrete projects that combine economic development with ecosystem preservation.
Lead organisers: COOPR, AIRF, Regions4
📣 COMMUNICATIONS AND CAMPAIGNS
Regions4 will highlight member leadership through:
At COP30 in Belém, Regions4 will present a series of key launches designed to strengthen resilience where it matters most:
RegionsAdapt Progress Report 2025 – Financing Resilience Where It is Built: Scaling Subnational Climate Finance Now
This flagship report tracks the adaptation efforts of states, regions, and provinces worldwide, drawing on data reported through CDP. It highlights evidence, best practices, and recommendations on how subnational governments are mobilising finance for climate adaptation, helping to bridge the global adaptation finance gap. (Read our previous report here).
Just Resilience Action Platform
A new mechanism designed to channel finance, peer learning, tools, and leadership directly to the regional level, accelerating just and inclusive climate action.
Just Resilience Policy Brief
Positioning regional governments as central actors in advancing resilience, this brief offers practical guidance for collaboration with vulnerable communities and makes the case for climate finance and partnerships that recognise territorial leadership.
Attending Regions4 team at COP30: Natalia Uribe, Heloise Chicou, Melisa Cran | 10–18 November
Please email jabu@regions4.org with your phone number to join the WhatsApp delegation group or request a bilateral with the team.
Thank you for your continued collaboration. We look forward to a successful and impactful COP30!
In 2019, Regions4 launched the global campaign #RegionsVoice in a collective effort to bring the voice of regional governments to the major events and negotiation processes in sustainable development within the UN.
The aim of the campaign is to ensure the visibility and wider recognition of the role of regional governments in sustainable development, by elevating both individual and collective messages and engaging with a wider audience during the UN Decade of Action.
Designed to help partners amplify the role of subnational governments in delivering just, inclusive, and resilient climate action at COP30. It includes key messages, social media content, short videos, and quotes from local leaders. Partners are encouraged to use and share these materials across their platforms to spotlight regional voices, solutions, and leadership driving climate justice at COP30.
Follow us:
LinkedIn:@regions4
YouTube: @regions4561
Press/Communications Contact: Soraia Ribeiro sribeiro@regions4.org
We welcome the participation of all regional governments at Regions4 activities at COP30. Do not hesitate to contact us!
Climate Action and Resilience Programme Manager
climate@regions4.org