Getting involved - local councils

Local councils play a leading role in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Participation in the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy supports them in this endeavour, by providing them the recognition, resources and networking opportunities necessary to take their energy and climate commitments to the next level.

Eligibility

Any city in the world with a democratically elected government, regardless of its size or location, can voluntarily pledge to join the Global Covenant of Mayors.

What is our Council committing to?

  1. Presenting the Global Covenant of Mayors to Council for consideration. To facilitate this, you can download the Letter of Commitment.

  2. The Mayor (or equivalent authority) signing the Letter of Commitment, which is sent to the GCoM Secretariat (oceania@iclei.org).

  3. Within one year, a local council should prepare a community-wide emissions inventory of total GHG emissions according to the GCoM standard (read the Common Reporting Framework).

  4. Within two years, a local council should adopt emissions reduction targets and establish a monitoring system. The city should also conduct an analysis of threats and climate vulnerabilities, and submit a report using one of the official platforms.

  5. Within three years, the city should publish a Plan (or Plans) that shows how the city will accomplish its GHG reduction goals and increase its resilience to climate change. Some cities may establish separate plans for mitigation and adaptation.

Who can I contact for more information?

We would be happy to assist you over the phone or by email. Please contact helpdesk.oceania@iclei.org to arrange a call or a consultation.

How to join?

  1. Read and understand what you are committing to as a signatory to the Global Covenant of Mayors (above).

  2. Join the initiative: Join GCoM

  3. Have the commitment letter signed by an authorised person (such as the Mayor).

  4. Email the commitment letter to oceania@iclei.org

  5. Arrange a time to discuss on-boarding and next steps with staff from the GCoM Oceania Secretariat who will guide you through the process.

Contact us if you have questions about joining. The GCoM Oceania Secretariat can provide guidance and support through the reporting processes.

Other Groups

The Global Covenant of Mayors aims to build the capacity of local governments to respond to climate change. This takes a collective effort which goes beyond local governments alone, we encourage local government groupings, environmental consultancies, not-for-profit organisation, universities and community groups to get involved to achieve our common goals.

Regional Groups and Clusters

To support local councils achieve their climate ambitions, GCoM welcomes groups or clusters of councils to join together to access the resources and opportunities provided by GCoM. Groups of councils can also consider reporting as a region or to share approaches for others to meet reporting commitments If you are interested in joining us as a council grouping please contact oceania@iclei.org.

Local Government Associations

GCoM is always looking for partnerships with those organisations representing councils at the national and sub national level. Partnering with GCoM can provide the frameworks, expertise and assistance with policy, strategy and advocacy needs. If you are interested in joining us as a partner group please contact oceania@iclei.org.

Partners and consultants

To support local councils achieve their climate ambitions, GCoM welcomes partners from supporting non-government organisations, consultancies, and think tanks to join the initiative as partners to help provide technical assistance to help fast-track local government climate action. GCoM has a broad alliance of over 80 partnerships globally with leading organisations and networks. We welcome the opportunity to discuss potential partnerships with your organisation. If you are interested in joining us as a partner organisation, please contact oceania@iclei.org.

Government Departments

National, State or Territory governments can play an instrumental role in supporting local councils to meet global agreements or state based policy or legislative obligations. They also help meet community expectations and councils own climate ambitions. If you are in a government department that is interested in understanding GCoM more, aligning any programs, participating in global disclosure approaches or working directly with GCoM please contact oceania@iclei.org.

Climate and Community Groups

In order to support local councils achieve their climate ambitions, GCoM welcomes supporting climate groups and community organisations (NGOs) to work together as partners and to assist us all to fast-track community-driven local climate action. If you are interested in discussing what role we can play, share our resources or become a partner in delivery please contact oceania@iclei.org.

Universities and Researchers

GCoM believes engaging with universities, researchers and think tanks is crucial. For example, GCoM’s Innovate4Cities initiative aims to address critical data, innovation and technological gaps that are critical in assisting local governments in accelerating their climate action.

If you are interested in contributing to this critical research or sharing what your existing research, we are interested in talking with you. Please contact oceania@iclei.org