For the CoR's COP28 delegation and for subnational governments globally, COP28 was not only a significant step forward in global climate efforts with the historic agreement to transition away from fossil fuels, but also represented a breakthrough in a long-standing challenge for subnational governments worldwide: making their voices heard at UN summits.

COP28 witnessed an unprecedented engagement by the COP28 Presidency, which hosted the first-ever Local Climate Action Summit (LCAS) and the second Ministerial Meeting on Urbanisation and Climate Change on the official COP agenda. Additionally, over 70 nations endorsed the COP28 Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP), committing to engage with their subnational governments to update their future climate plans, which are due by COP30 in 2025.

These developments signal a new era of collaboration among all levels of government, to which the CoR has made and will continue to make substantial contributions.

The CoR will work towards the effective implementation of the decisions made at COP28, both within the EU and globally, with a view to making multilevel action a reality at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11 to 22 November 2024 and in future COPs.