The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
Accelerating urban climate action
Through a new partnership with the European Commission, UNOPS will provide essential operational support to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, helping over 13,500 cities make their environmental goals a reality.
Around the world, more than 13,500 cities have pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build climate resilience. Yet, many local governments struggle to move from planning to execution. A significant implementation gap exists due to limited technical capacity, difficulty navigating complex funding sources, and a lack of access to private-sector investment for green infrastructure.
To help, UNOPS has partnered with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA) to bolster the work of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) – the world’s largest alliance for city climate leadership. Through the initiative, which is co-funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, UNOPS will serve as an operational backbone that will work to equip urban centres across the globe with the tools they need to turn climate ambitions into actions.
"We are delighted to work with UNOPS as a partner for the Global Covenant of Mayors. This collaboration combines the political ambition of the world’s largest city climate alliance with the operational muscle needed to drive implementation on the ground,” said Alessandra Sgobbi, Head of the Climate Finance Unit at DG CLIMA.
Together, we will empower local governments to fast-track their resilience transition to net-zero and deliver high-impact climate projects.
Under the agreement, UNOPS will establish a support and coordination unit in Brussels to deliver DG CLIMA’s support to the GCoM Global Secretariat, providing the technical expertise necessary to bridge this gap.
Running until 2029, UNOPS will support cities’ efforts to:
Unlock finance: Helping local governments develop portfolios of projects that are attractive to investors;
Build technical capacity: Connecting city needs with high-performing experts to ensure project success;
Scale up partnerships: Facilitating business-to-city matchmaking to bring innovative green solutions to urban environments.
“At UNOPS, we recognize the critical role of cities in driving climate action and the Global Covenant of Mayors’ success in building a global alliance of over 13,500 committed cities,” said Katrin Lichtenberg, Head of UNOPS Water, Environment and Climate Portfolio.
“The foundation is set. We are proud to support the European Commission and GCoM, combining our complementary capacities to accelerate climate action and empower cities to turn their climate plans into tangible, financeable and scalable projects,” she added.
