COP30 and the Urban Turn in Climate Diplomacy

The world is urbanising at an unprecedented pace. According to United Nations (UN) projections, global urbanisation is projected to rise from 58 percent in 2025 to 68 percent by 2050. Cities today generate nearly 80 percent of global GDP and account for around 75 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. They are also on the frontlines of climate vulnerability, confronting extreme heat, flooding, sea-level rise, air pollution, and rapid ecological degradation. Yet despite their centrality to both the climate crisis and its solutions, urban governments—and the broader urban agenda—remained largely marginal in international climate negotiations until recently.

Although city governments had a presence at the very first COP organised by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) in 1995, their role remained largely symbolic for two decades. A decisive shift began in 2015 when the United Nations adopted SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) as part of the 2030 Agenda. This marked a clear recognition that sustainability goals cannot be achieved through sectoral interventions alone, but require a spatially coherent, city-focused approach. Urban form, for instance, shapes mobility patterns, while building regulations significantly influence energy demand for cooling.

Cities are no longer confined to the “last mile” of policy implementation; they are increasingly stepping into the diplomatic arena—shaping global norms, forging transnational alliances, and driving the climate transition from the ground up.

Shortly thereafter, the Paris Agreement formally recognised the importance of subnational governments and non-state actors in strengthening Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and driving transformative climate action. The Agreement established the Global Climate Action Agenda, creating structured pathways for cities to participate, report progress, and collaborate internationally. This moment catalysed a new era in which urban climate action moved from the periphery of global negotiations to a core component of international climate governance.

Since then, the urban agenda has gained sustained momentum, culminating in the prominent visibility cities enjoyed at COP30. More than 14,000 cities, states, and regions committed to advancing climate solutions in Belém. Cities are no longer confined to the “last mile” of policy implementation; they are increasingly stepping into the diplomatic arena—shaping global norms, forging transnational alliances, and driving the climate transition from the ground up.

The Rise of City Diplomacy

Even though the engagement of cities and local governments in global climate platforms is relatively recent, their participation in international economic and cultural spheres has a much longer history. The forces of globalisation and intensifying economic competition pushed cities to adopt what is often termed entrepreneurial urbanism.

David Harvey describes this transformation as a strategic scaling up of city governments—from their earlier preoccupation with providing basic civic services to becoming entrepreneurial actors competing for investment, talent, and global visibility. This shift coincided with the emergence of “global cities” such as New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Singapore, and Dubai, which evolved into command-and-control centres of international financial and economic networks, followed by regional powerhouses like Shanghai, São Paulo, Johannesburg, and Mumbai. In many cases, national governments actively began to support the global positioning of their key cities as part of their own geopolitical and economic strategies.

Around the world, cities are taking international engagement more seriously, with many municipal governments now articulating explicit policies to guide their global outreach. While economic development, tourism promotion, and investment attraction remain important pillars, a growing number of city strategies now place sustainability and climate action at the centre of their international agendas.

Within this broader transformation, city diplomacy emerged as a distinct and increasingly influential arena of international engagement, complementing the roles of national governments. From a broad conceptual standpoint, city diplomacy refers to municipal governments engaging internationally to address shared challenges. According to a landmark study by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, University College London, and the University of Melbourne, municipal foreign policy is becoming a prominent feature of urban governance. Around the world, cities are taking international engagement more seriously, with many municipal governments now articulating explicit policies to guide their global outreach. While economic development, tourism promotion, and investment attraction remain important pillars, a growing number of city strategies now place sustainability and climate action at the centre of their international agendas.

Cities are increasingly leveraging a diverse ecosystem of global networks to strengthen their international engagement. First, municipal governments now participate actively in platforms such as C40 Cities, the Global Parliament of Mayors, and the Commonwealth Local Government Forum, which provide structured spaces for collaboration, peer learning, and coordinated climate action.

Second, this engagement is reinforced by a wider network of influential international organisations, including Cities Alliance, ICLEI (International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives), UCLG (United Cities and Local Governments), World Resources Institute, and professional bodies such as ISOCARP (International Society of City and Regional Planners). Through capacity building, research, advocacy, and global convenings, these organisations help embed cities more deeply within global environmental diplomacy and ensure that urban priorities meaningfully influence both global commitments and local implementation.

Third, UN bodies play a crucial role in formalising the global role of cities. Events such as the World Urban Forum, anchored by the UN-Habitat, or the COP summit have Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) as a key constituency. They have given city leaders unprecedented visibility in international climate and development discourse, helping to position cities as indispensable actors in shaping global sustainability agendas.

Urban Leadership at COP30: What Changed

COP30 marked the strongest recognition yet that effective climate action depends on multilevel governance—national, state, and local governments working in synchrony. This momentum was anchored by the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities constituency, whose Joint Position for COP30 urged the establishment of a formal UNFCCC work programme on multilevel climate action and a more structured integration of local and regional priorities into the next cycle of Nationally Determined Contributions.

It is noteworthy that the COP30 Ministerial Meeting explicitly addressed the intersection of informality, density, and resilience—issues of particular relevance for rapidly growing cities in the Global South. Moreover, for the first time in COP history, urban heat stress and affordable housing were formally acknowledged as central climate challenges.

The third cycle of NDCs reflected a major shift in global climate governance. According to UN-Habitat’s Urban Content in NDC 3.0 report, over 80 percent of new NDCs now reference cities, a substantial rise from 61 percent in the previous cycle. This progress is closely tied to the earlier initiatives, including the COP27 Sustainable Urban Resilience for the Next Generation (SURGe) Initiative, COP28 Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP), and COP29 Multisectoral Actions Pathways (MAP) to Resilient and Healthy Cities declaration, which commits national governments to structured collaboration with subnational authorities.

Building on this momentum, the Ministerial Meeting on Urbanisation and Climate Change,  Chaired by Jader Barbalho Filho, Minister of Cities, Brazil, called for institutionalising urbanisation and climate discussions within COPs, strengthening the role of subnational governments in UNFCCC processes, and embedding sustainable urban development across global climate frameworks. It emphasised integrating cities into NDCs, adaptation and long-term strategies, aligning the New Urban Agenda with climate goals, supporting the IPCC Cities report, scaling local climate finance, and prioritising equity, inclusion, and just transitions for vulnerable urban communities.

It is noteworthy that the COP30 Ministerial Meeting explicitly addressed the intersection of informality, density, and resilience—issues of particular relevance for rapidly growing cities in the Global South. Moreover, for the first time in COP history, urban heat stress and affordable housing were formally acknowledged as central climate challenges.  The Beat the Heat Coalition brought together 185 cities committed to heat action plans and climate-sensitive urban design.

The growing emphasis on urban climate action has been accompanied by a clearer recognition that cities require both institutional capacity and dedicated financing to deliver on global climate commitments. Under the co-chairmanship of Brazil and Germany, CHAMP has set concrete targets—integrating local action into 100 NDCs by 2028 and training 6,000 local officials in climate planning. Complementing this institutional push, urban climate finance received a boost with the Bloomberg Philanthropies announcing a US$168 million commitment to city-led climate solutions, emissions tracking, and multilevel governance.

Collectively, these developments signal a gradual but unmistakable shift in the UNFCCC architecture toward a whole-of-government approach, where cities are no longer peripheral players but integral partners in shaping and implementing global climate strategies.

Lessons for Indian Cities

India’s constitutional framework places foreign policy firmly under the Union government (Article 246, Schedule 7); yet, the past decade has seen an important shift toward recognising the role of subnational actors. The creation of the States Division in the Ministry of External Affairs in 2014 signalled a new era of decentralisation in foreign policy, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasising the need for people’s participation and state-level engagement in shaping India’s external outreach. Scholars argue that a structured system of para-diplomacy could support India’s inclusive growth by giving all states a meaningful role in foreign policy decision-making.

The creation of the States Division in the Ministry of External Affairs in 2014 signalled a new era of decentralisation in foreign policy, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasising the need for people’s participation and state-level engagement in shaping India’s external outreach.

However, urban governments have not yet received comparable attention, despite their growing national and global significance. India is urbanising rapidly, and cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata rank among the world’s largest megacities. Metropolitan hubs like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Pune are deeply embedded in global supply chains, while several Indian cities—Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Delhi—are part of the C40 Cities network. Partnerships such as the GIZ-supported Strategic Partnership for Risk-Informed, Resilient, and Sustainable Urban Development further highlight the international relevance of Indian cities. During India’s G20 presidency, Ahmedabad hosted the U20 summit of city leaders from across the G20 countries to discuss climate action and sustainable development.

Yet engagement remains limited due to structural constraints. Many cities lack empowered political leadership—mayoral terms are extremely short (one year in Delhi and Bengaluru; 2.5 years in Mumbai, Pune, and Ahmedabad), and civic elections in major cities like Mumbai and Bengaluru have faced long delays. Capacity deficits mean that international engagement is often reactive rather than strategic. Many cities continue to attract international attention for the wrong reasons—severe air pollution, recurring urban flooding and extreme heat stress. Investments in clean air, resilient infrastructure, public transport, and basic services are essential if Indian cities are to engage globally with greater legitimacy.

Despite these constraints, the potential is enormous. Indian cities could expand peer learning and knowledge sharing opportunities in the areas of climate finance, green mobility, circular economy initiatives and SDG localisation with other major cities in the Global South. India’s upcoming BRICS presidency offers an opportunity towards this. Twinning arrangement with cities like Durban, Johannesburg, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro under the IBSA (India–Brazil–South Africa) framework is especially promising, as Brazil and South Africa have more empowered municipal systems within their federal constitutional frameworks, longer experience in global city networks, and offer valuable lessons for India’s urban future.

Tathagata Chatterji is Professor of Urban Management and Governance at XIM University, Bhubaneswar.

• Economic Diplomacy
• Climate Change
• India
• 2025 united nations climate change conference
• climate diplomacy
• COP30
• cop30 summit
• global urbanization
• paris agreement
• sdg 11
• sustainable development goals
• un climate change conference
• unfccc cop 30
• urban climate action

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