UNDP encourages municipalities to join city networks to strengthen cooperation in the fight against climate change

With an aim to extend collaboration between cities on climate action and build societal resilience at urban level, City Networks Meetings were held on 28-29 September with the participation of 132 representatives from municipalities.

The meetings were held as part of the EUR 4.2 million initiative to enhance adaptation action in Turkey co-funded by the European Union and the Republic of Turkey and implemented by UNDP in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization.

The events intended to inform municipalities about city networks efforts, processes for membership, and reporting through sharing experience and knowledge, and to encourage them to participate in and contribute to networking activities for climate change adaptation.

Climate change adaptation is an intertwined issue that requires interdisciplinary work and brings many stakeholders together. Responding to current and future climate change threats and taking advantage of opportunities require cooperation at multiple governance levels through different institutions and networks. Therefore, cooperation activities are one of the main strategies for tackling climate change and adaptation actions.

In these gatherings, the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, Union of Municipalities of Turkey, and UNDP Turkey Climate Change and Environment Portfolio jointly emphasized the importance of cooperation and networks in the fight against climate change.

Establishing a city network for climate or becoming a member of an existing network within the scope of cooperation efforts is in Turkey’s and other countries’ climate change agenda. These climate networks bring cities together to exchange information about the current and emerging impacts of climate change and to share best practices that can support them in developing adaptation strategies.

During the two-day sessions, the representatives of the Covenant of Mayors and Carbon Disclosure Project Europe Middle East and Africa, Cities, States and Regions, and the Healthy Cities Association presented their practices.

Bursa, İstanbul, Antalya, İzmir, Konya, Ankara, Muğla, Samsun, Sakarya Metropolitan Municipalities and Nilüfer, Kadıköy, Bornova and Tepebaşı Municipalities as members of such networks representing local governments in Turkey shared their experiences and knowledge on the network memberships, membership process and the contribution to their municipalities.

The City Networks Meetings will continue with a second series that will be held in September 2022. At the meeting in 2022, there will be an opportunity to observe and measure Turkey's progress on networks. UNDP will also continue to provide guidance and support to municipalities and carry out networking activities such as awareness-raising conferences, study visits, and training modules.

Climate networks advise local governments on their achievements and challenges in implementing climate adaptation or mitigation actions. While national and international collaborations strengthen the fight against climate change at the local level via creating networks and opportunities for cities in combating and adapting to climate change, it also helps to improve and accelerate actions.

UNDP, in cooperation with the Republic of Turkey and the European Union, continues to work to strengthen climate resilience and adaptation capacity in Turkey against the impacts of the climate crisis and fight against deepening inequalities due to climate change. Its initiatives will continue to support Turkey's climate change adaptation efforts at national and local levels and support Turkey to reach the Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action.