Sixteen global and local co-chairs of the Forum were announced by the COP30 Presidency and Bloomberg Philanthropies. The Forum will convene in Rio de Janeiro from 3–5 November, ahead of COP30 in Belém.
Co-hosted by the COP30 Presidency and Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Local Leaders Forum will bring together hundreds of mayors, governors, and subnational leaders to elevate local leadership and deliver concrete outcomes on global climate priorities.
The co-chairs will guide the Forum’s vision, showcase how local action strengthens national and global climate ambition, and help ensure NDCs are delivered through collaboration at every level of government. Their leadership will mobilize mayors, governors, and regional leaders to cut emissions, build resilience, and improve lives.
“From Malmö to Belém, local governments are driving real solutions and ambition. This is our moment to strengthen multilevel collaboration and ensure local voices shape global climate action. As co-chair of the COP30 Local Leaders Forum delegation, I am certain that together we can build resilient, inclusive communities and leave a legacy of lasting change for the world to benefit,” said ICLEI President Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, Mayor of Malmö, Sweden.
Alongside Mayor Jammeh, the distinguished group of co-chairs includes:
- Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Freetown, Sierra Leone, and C40 Cities Co-Chair
- Governor Helder Barbalho, Pará, Brazil
- Mayor Joy Belmonte, Quezon City, Philippines
- Christiana Figueres, Founding Partner of Global Optimism and Former UNFCCC Executive Secretary
- Mayor Kate Gallego, Phoenix, United States, and Chair of Climate Mayors
- Dan Ioschpe, Climate High-Level Champion for COP30
- Mayor Sadiq Khan, London, United Kingdom, and C40 Cities Co-Chair
- Governor Gavin Newsom, California, United States, and Co-Chair of the United States Climate Alliance and America Is All In
- Mayor Igor Normando, Belém, Brazil
- Mayor Eduardo Paes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds, Hobart, Australia
- Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, and Co-Chair of the Global Covenant of Mayors
- Simon Stiell, United Nations Climate Change Executive Secretary
- Dr. Laurence Tubiana, CEO of the European Climate Foundation, Special Envoy for COP30 to Europe, Dean of the Paris Climate School at Sciences Po, France’s former Climate Change Ambassador and Special Representative for COP21, and COP22 UN High-Level Champion for Climate Action
- Premier Alan Winde, Western Cape, South Africa
Over three days, the Forum will feature flagship events aligned with the COP30 Action Agenda and help advance priorities such as tripling renewable energy by 2030, doubling energy efficiency, transitioning away from fossil fuels, and mobilizing $1.3 trillion annually by 2035 to support developing countries.
Events will include the C40 World Mayors Summit, the Global States and Regions Summit, the Brazilian National Front of Mayors’ (FNP) 88th General Assembly, the America Is All In Solutions Exchange, the Amazon Cities Forum, the Bloomberg Philanthropies Local Leaders Climate Awards—with 16 of the 26 finalists hailing from ICLEI Member cities—and sessions on the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP), Brazil, and China.
On 5 November, the Forum will conclude with the Local Climate Action Summit—the defining moment of the week. Marking ten years since local leaders first gathered in Paris to demand bold action at COP21, this rare global convening will spotlight the power of local governments to turn climate ambition into results. In the spirit of COP30’s Global Mutirão, it will bring local, national, and international representatives together to reflect on progress, deliver recommendations for COP30 negotiations, and build momentum for bold climate action.
Read Bloomberg Philanthropies’ press release announcing the Forum’s co-chairs here.
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