📅 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).
73 % of subnational governments members of RegionsAdapt 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 international adaptation finance currently reaches the local level (UNEP 2023), 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.
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 Adaptation Where Change Happens: 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.
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 Taskforce, and others
Suggested hotels: Windsor Asturias and Prodigy Santos Dumont
Website and contact: cop30localleaders@climategroup.org , Local Leaders Forum
Full Detailed Provisional Agenda of the LLF here: Local Leaders Forum – Subnational Agenda
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.
Governor-Level / Regional Leaders attending:
Minister-Level / Secretary-Level Leaders:
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.
Explore our key events at a glance on the side, and read below for more details and additional activities.
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 Taskforce, Nature4Climate, Under2, ABEMA
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 negotiations, donors, national and subnational leaders and observers.
SIDE EVENT | From Droughts to Heatwaves to Wildfires: Mediterranean Regions Teaming Up for Climate Resilience
Date: 11 November
Time: 16 -17 h (local time)
Location: Spanish Pavilion, Blue Zone
Organisers: Government of Catalonia, Regions4; RCC, Mediterranean Climate Action Partnership (MCAP)
Subnational governments play a pivotal role in climate action, bridging national strategies and local implementation. As legislators, planners, and conveners, they often set more ambitious targets than federal governments, despite facing resource and coordination challenges. Increasingly, bioregional collaboration offers a powerful model for knowledge exchange and joint adaptation among regions sharing similar environmental realities. This session will explore how regional cooperation and interregional solidarity can strengthen resilience, highlight innovative mechanisms to scale adaptation finance, and amplify regional voices within the global climate agenda.
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 and partners: Regions4, Climate Brazil Centre and the European Climate Foundation
This session will examine how state governments can strengthen climate adaptation through effective implementation frameworks, drawing on national and international experiences. By exploring legal and institutional mechanisms—such as State Adaptation Plans, budget laws, the ClimaBrasil Panel, and monitoring systems—it will identify pathways to ensure coherence, continuity, and transparency in adaptation policies.
SIDE EVENT | Thematic Hub Session: Cities and Regions Driving Climate and Biodiversity Integration: Tools for Action
Date: 12 November
Time: 9:30-10:30 (local time)
Location: COP30 Climate Action Hub, Blue Zone
Organisers: ICLEI, Regions4, RegionsWithNature, CitiesWithNature
This session will explore how local and subnational governments are integrating climate and biodiversity agendas through practical tools, data-driven approaches, and real examples. It will highlight collaborative initiatives helping cities and regions turn global goals into territorial, measurable impact.
GOVERNOR ROUNDTABLE | Advancing the New Forest Economy: Governors’ Roundtable on Scaling Subnational Leadership and Investment in Tropical Forests
Date: 12 November
Time: 16:30-18 h (local time)
Location: ABEMA House (Instituto Technologico Vale, outside of Blue Zone)
Organisers: Regions4, GCF Taskforce, ABEMA
NETWORKING RECEPTION | Networking for the New Forest Economy: GCFTF & Partners Reception
Date: 12 November
Time: 18:00 – 20:30 h (local time)
Organisers: GCFTF, Regions4, ART/Trees, Nature & Culture International
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.
By invitation only.
DONOR ROUNDTABLE: Investing Where Change Happens: The Just Resilience Action Platform Linking Territories and Finance for Just Resilience
Date: 13 November
Time: 12:00 – 13:00 (local time)
Location: Nature Pavilion, Blue Zone
Organisers: Regions4 and Nature4Climate
Closed-door on invitation-only.
PRESS CONFERENCE| Positioning Health at the Centre of Adaptation Finance
Date: 13 November
Time: 14:30 – 15:00 (local time)
Location: Press Conference 2, Area D, Blue Zone
Organisers: 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.
NETWORKING RECEPTION | Highlighting 5 years of impacts with the Race To Resilience
Date: 13 November
Time: 18:00 – 19:00 h (local time)
Location: Resilience Hub, Blue Zone
Organisers: Race to Resilience
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).
Join a high-level discussion on how Mediterranean and other bioregions are collaborating to strengthen climate resilience through shared learning, innovation, and partnerships. Subnational governments play a vital role by bridging national goals with local action, setting ambitious targets, and driving implementation despite resource constraints. This event will spotlight successful bioregional strategies and emphasise the critical role of subnational leadership in advancing climate adaptation and resilience. Attendees will gain insights into proven initiatives, scalable solutions, and innovative financing approaches to boost climate action at local and regional levels.
SIDE EVENT | Climate Federalism from Brazil to Canada: Canadian Leadership for Multilevel Climate Governance
Event details: 10 November | Time: 13:45 – 14:30| Canada Pavilion
Organisers: Organised by McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC)
The COP30 presidency has emphasized the concept of “climate federalism.” Like Brazil, Canada is among the endorsers of the CHAMP initiative (Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships) and a member of the “Friends of Multilevel Action.” This panel seeks to stimulate discussion on Canada’s leadership in multilevel climate governance: both the role it has played to date and the role it can and should continue to play through domestic policy or politics, multilateral action, and international negotiations. The challenges ahead cannot be met without the active involvement of regional governments, municipal authorities, and Indigenous communities worldwide. The panel will therefore bring together representatives of the federal and federated governments, Indigenous communities, and municipal authorities to discuss together current dynamics of Canadian climate federalism and to envision future directions.
PRESS CONFERENCE | Partners in Implementation: Cities and Regions are leading the Mutirão
Event details: 10 November | 14:30-15:00 | Press Conference 2, Area D
Organisers: LGMA
This press conference will highlight how cities and regions are driving climate delivery through multilevel collaboration, building on the momentum of CHAMP, the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency Joint COP30 Position and the outcomes of the COP30 Local Leaders Forum. It will underscore how aligning local, regional, and national action can move the world from ambition to implementation through resilient infrastructure, inclusive services, and urban climate finance.
SIDE EVENT | Accelerating States System – Amplify the world and health systems
Event details: 10 November | 15:30 – 16:30 | World Health Organization Pavilion, Blue Zone
Organisers: Race to Resilience, Regions4
This session will spotlight how coordinated, multisectoral adaptation efforts can protect communities, strengthen health systems, and improve well-being in a changing climate. Anchored in the Race to Resilience, the global campaign led by the Climate Change High Level Champions that mobilises non-party stakeholders, including the private sector, civil society, and subnational governments, to build the resilience of 4 billion people by 2030, the discussion will feature partners advancing innovative, inclusive, and scalable solutions for resilient health systems and people’s well-being.
SIDE EVENT: Delivering Impact: People Centred Adaptation Action
Event details: 11 November | 12:30-13:30 h (local time)| COP30 Action Agenda Zone
Organisers: Race to Resilience
At COP30, the Race to Resilience presents its first cumulative results on implementation: nearly half a billion people are now more resilient, 18.4 million hectares of nature are protected, and USD $4.18 billion in adaptation finance has been deployed, proving that inclusive, people-centred climate action advances the Global Climate Action Agenda and delivers measurable impact.
SIDE EVENT | Race to Resilience from Pledges to Implementation – Launch of the 2025 Progress Report
Event details: 13 November | 17:00 – 18:00 h (local time) | Resilience Hub, Blue Zone
Organisers: Race to Resilience
Join the Race to Resilience, partners, and Global Ambassadors to celebrate nearly five years of impact and the milestones of the campaign. For the first time, the Race to Resilience progress report presents cumulative results on implementation, showing resilience in practice beyond pledges and plans. The report highlights farmers accessing climate loans, communities receiving early warnings, homes strengthened against storms, and reefs restored to protect coastlines. Five years into the Decade of Delivery, these achievements come as climate impacts intensify, threatening livelihoods, ecosystems, and development. Aligned with the COP30 Action Agenda and the Global Goal on Adaptation, the Race to Resilience campaign mobilises non-State actors to deliver tangible outcomes. Halfway to 2030, nearly 500 million people are now living with greater resilience.
SIDE EVENT: Subnational Governments Facing Headwinds in the Americas and Pursuing Climate Transition
Event details: 15 November | 10:45 – 11:30 h (local time)| Canada Pavilion
Organisers: Under2 and the Government of Quebec
Event objectives:
⏳ SIDE EVENT | Francophone Interregional Cooperation COOP’R: Territorial Experiences Combining Biodiversity, Climate, and Local Economic Development
Event details: TBD | Francophone IFDD Pavilion and Online
Organisers: COOPR, AIRF, Regions4
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.
Regions4 will highlight member leadership through:
COP30 Granary of Solutions – featuring Regions4 case studies on how subnational actors turn global goals into action, including Assam State, Wales, Andalusia, Québec, Conexao Mata Atlantica. Another additional stories have been submitting and might be selected.
From Paris to Belém – as part of CHAMP, celebrating a decade of regional climate action since the Paris Agreement, with inspiring member stories. See below.
Climate-Proof SME Campaign – connecting regional governments with small businesses to advance resilience and decarbonization.
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.
Are you a partner in Regions4 events? Do you want to amplify your announcements and regional stories?
As we prepare for COP30, regions need powerful communication tools to tell their stories. This toolkit supports Regions4 members and partners in showcasing their vital role with confidence, ensuring their voices are heard at this critical moment for climate action.
With this toolkit, you can access official Regions4 COP30 key messages and ready-to use social media cards. If you’d like to tailor them with your own logo or messaging, we’ve also included blank versions for easy customization.
We welcome the participation of all regional governments at Regions4 activities at COP30. Do not hesitate to contact us!
Attending Regions4 team at COP30: Natalia Uribe (10-15 Nov), Heloise Chicou (10-15 Nov), Melisa Cran (10-18 Nov).
Please email jabu@regions4.org with your phone number to join the WhatsApp delegation group or request a meeting with the team.
Thank you for your continued collaboration. We look forward to a successful and impactful COP30!
Climate Action and Resilience Programme Manager
climate@regions4.org