Cities are increasingly at the center of global climate action. Following Sweden’s engagement in the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP) for Climate Action, a delegation of Swedish representatives participated in COP30-related events in Rio de Janeiro and Belém in November 2025. These gatherings provided key insights into the global direction of city-focused climate policy and the growing international recognition of subnational actors.

The first part of this article summarizes the major outcomes and signals from COP30 in Rio and Belém - including the important role for cities. The second part connects these insights to Sweden’s efforts, including the Viablity Fund for Cities and collaboration with World Economic Forum on First Mover Cities.

PART I: Key Outcomes from Rio and Belém

Cities at the Center of the Global Climate Challenge

Cities generate about 70 percent of global emissions, yet they are also leading some of the most ambitious climate efforts. C40’s 2024 report shows that its cities have reduced per-capita CO₂ emissions by 7.5 percent since 2015, compared with 1.5 percent globally. Their progress comes from a range of initiatives, including:

• Commitments under Cities Race to Zero to reach net zero by the 2040s or by 2050 at the latest and reduce emissions by half by 2030
• Efforts to scale down fossil fuels
• Rapid expansion of nature-based resilience strategies
• The Global Green New Deal, linking climate action with social and economic justice
• Air quality policies such as London’s ultra-low emission zones, which sharply accelerated air quality improvements

This global city-level progress served as an important backdrop to the discussions in Rio and Belém.

Rio: COP30 Local Leaders Forum and the C40 World Mayors Summit

More than 1,500 mayors, governors and subnational leaders from 120 countries gathered in Rio the week before COP30 in Belém. This included the C40 World Mayors Summit and CHAMP high-level meetings, with about 50 US cities participating.

Several insights were reinforced:

• Cities are driving the transition and need strong multilevel governance that links local action with national and international support
• Mitigation, adaptation and equity must be integrated
• New financial models are required to support large-scale climate action
• Collaboration across public agencies, businesses and communities is essential
• Data gaps still hinder effective implementation

Artificial intelligence was also a major topic. C40 and the Global Covenant of Mayors launched the City Climate Compass, an AI tool that helps cities analyze emissions and climate risks. At the same time, city leaders emphasized that the rapid expansion of data centers must not compromise climate or resource security.

The Summit concluded with the Local Leaders Joint Outcome Statement, representing more than 14,000 cities, towns, states and regions. It reaffirmed commitments to clean energy, emissions reductions, resilience, affordability and nature protection, and included a pledge to build a pipeline of more than 2,500 bankable climate projects. When the statement was handed to the UN Secretary-General during COP30 in Belém, it was clear that cities and regions are now recognized as central partners in global climate governance.

CHAMP Momentum: The EU and Sweden Deepen Their Engagement

CHAMP High-Level Political Dialogue in Rio.

The Rio meetings strengthened the role of CHAMP, which aims to improve collaboration between national and subnational levels of government. Since 2023, CHAMP has expanded to 77 endorsing countries and the European Union. Its partners include Bloomberg Philanthropies, C40 Cities, the Global Covenant of Mayors, ICLEI, UN-Habitat, UNEP, the Regions for Sustainable Development, the World Resources Institute and the Center for Global Sustainability.

Teresa Ribera, the Executive Vice President of the European Commission and Patricia E. Harris, CEO Bloomberg Philanthropies at the CHAMP High Level Political Dialogue at COP30 Local Leaders Forum in Rio.

During the CHAMP High-Level Political Dialogue, Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice President of the European Commission, announced that the EU has joined CHAMP. This reinforces the recognition of cities and regions as essential partners in climate action and resilience.

Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, Mayor of Malmö and Chair of ICLEI and Olle Dierks, Sweden’s Point of Contact in CHAMP. Photo from CHAMP High Level Political Dialogue at the COP30 Local Leaders Forum in Rio.

Sweden also played an active role. The Swedish Point of Contact highlighted the Climate City Contract, developed within Viable Cities, as a model for multilevel governance in practice. CHAMP partners were invited to work together on future governance tools for climate finance, including aggregated purchasing power.

Belém: Ministerial Meetings and Brazil’s New Commitments

Group photo with participants of the Fourth Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change, at COP30 in Belém.

On November 11 in Belém, the Fourth Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change was held in the Blue Zone, organized by UN-Habitat. It highlighted collaborative approaches across housing, science, nature and finance, and emphasized the importance of strengthening the urban elements of national climate plans. Brazil launched a Plan to Accelerate the Solution, which sets out a goal for 100 national climate plans to formally include multilevel governance by 2028. Brazil and Germany were announced as CHAMP co-chairs through 2027, underscoring CHAMP’s transition into a more implementation-oriented phase.

The Brazilian COP30 Presidency, supported by UN-Habitat, C40, the Global Covenant of Mayors and the World Resources Institute, stressed the need for multilevel governance to become a standard component of climate implementation. More broadly, this reflects a shift in the role of COP gatherings toward implementation that links global ambition with local action.

PART II: How COP30 Connects to Sweden’s Work and Priorities for 2025–2026

With the international spotlight on multilevel governance, there is significant opportunity for Sweden to contribute through its mission-oriented approaches, collaboration platforms and innovation ecosystems.

Sweden’s Mission-Oriented Model: A Global Resource for Cities

Sweden’s Climate City Contract offers a flexible governance framework that helps cities and national governments work together effectively. It supports shared goals, mutual accountability and system-wide change. The model has already informed the European Climate City Contract through the NetZeroCities initiative. As the C40 Summit and the upcoming IPCC Special Report on Cities highlight, cities face growing climate risks but often lack coherent national support or financing pathways. Viable Cities and the Green Transition Initiative (GTI) are encouraging global partners to adapt the Swedish model, aiming to move from isolated pilots to system-level transformation.

Team Sweden: Strengthening Collaboration and Investment for Cities

Viable Cities and GTI have initiated a joint process with Swedish government agencies and international collaborators, with the aim to mobilize 10 billion dollars in aggregated purchasing volume and 10 billion dollars in capital investments by 2030. Achieving this requires strong partnerships with international institutions.

To support this work, Viable Cities and GTI are building on GTI’s presence in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. These locations provide access to leading climate finance networks and organizations focusing on governance and investment innovation. The collaboration aims to develop pathways for system demonstrators, aggregated procurement and mission-aligned capital flows.

The collaboration builds on the Team Sweden approach - a government-initiated platform that brings together authorities, state-owned companies, regions, and industry partners to strengthen Swedish exports, investments, and international business opportunities. With the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise in a lead role, Team Sweden Smart Cities engages with European and global partners at major events such as COP30, showcasing the importance of cities in the green and digital transitions and aligning closely with Sweden’s engagement in CHAMP. The initiative is coordinated by Viable Cities, together with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs as Team Sweden lead.

Sweden’s CHAMP Contributions at COP30: Funding Mechanisms and First Mover Cities

Olle Dierks when launching the Viability Fund for Cities at the Fourth Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change, at COP30 in Belém.

Sweden’s COP30 contributions included work on aggregated purchasing power and the development of a climate fund. During the Ministerial Meeting in Belém, Olle Dierks launched the Viability Fund for Cities, intended to scale local climate action and bring together financial institutions and governments to develop new approaches to urban climate finance.

Markus Paulsson, City of Lund, Keshav Kumar Jha, ICLEI India and Nicola Iezza of the Urban Transitions Mission at the UTM Global Innovation Summit in Rio.

One of the potential co-financing opportunities for the Viability Fund for Cities is EnergyNet, a new protocol for local energy distribution developed by ViaEuropa within the City of Lund’s system demonstrator in Sweden. Its implementation is currently possible in the EU due to a 2024 policy enabling local energy distribution. EnergyNet’s smart microgrids are also being explored in campus environments at leading universities, including in California.

Markus Paulsson, Lead for the system demonstrator CoAction Lund, presented EnergyNet on multiple occasions during the UTM Global Innovation Summit held alongside the Local Leaders Forum in Rio. His message to the global audience emphasized the importance of pursuing parallel rollout pathways while awaiting broader policy shifts - beginning with ports, hospitals, campuses, and other contexts where exceptions for local energy distribution already exist, and engaging legislators early in the process.

Mattias Frumerie – Sweden’s Climate Ambassador and Head of Delegation to UNFCCC at Swedish Ministry of Climate and Enterprise, listening to Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh with Governor Gavin Newsom on her right, before entering the stage. Photo from the Fourth Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change, at COP30 in Belém.

Later in the Ministerial Meeting, Sweden’s Climate Ambassador Mattias Frumerie announced that cities will be invited to join a cohort of First Mover Cities. This community, developed within the World Economic Forum’s First Movers Coalition, will initially target emissions reductions in cement and concrete through multi-stakeholder dialogues focused on topics including aggregated procurement. It is the first time cities will formally participate in the coalition’s work, which already includes more than 100 global member companies.

A detailed concept note was published the same day as this announcement, developed in collaboration with the Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance, the Green Transition Initiative, Viable Cities, and other partners. The concept note illustrates how aggregated purchasing power can be a key lever for intra-city procurement to advance climate action. Global alliances and national platforms are working with First Movers Coalition to further develop a framework for aggregated purchasing power across sectors in cities. This framework provides a foundation for how subnational demand can catalyze system-wide change within procurement areas such as construction, logistics, retrofitting, and energy.

In the same Ministerial Meeting, California’s Governor Gavin Newsom and Malmö’s Mayor Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh appeared on stage together, underscoring the deepening collaboration between California and Sweden in their climate transitions. Their joint presence highlighted the Letter of Cooperation on the Green Transition, signed in February 2024, which formalized collaboration between Sweden and California in areas such as energy and transportation. Building on this, activities are currently being developed with high relevance for cities.

Looking Toward 2026: Strengthening Sweden’s Role in Multilevel Climate Governance

The COP30 Local Leaders Forum in Rio and the meetings in Belém provided a significant platform for advancing multilevel climate governance. They align closely with CHAMP’s ambition to position subnational governments as central partners in global climate action. CHAMP’s partner network, including Bloomberg Philanthropies, C40 Cities, the Global Covenant of Mayors, ICLEI, UN-Habitat, UNEP, the Regions for Sustainable Development, the World Resources Institute and the Center for Global Sustainability, is now more clearly organized.

Sweden is well placed to deepen its involvement in CHAMP and expand its climate diplomacy through practical implementation. Sweden has expressed interest in joining the CHAMP Steering Group, and there is strong potential to contribute further through the upcoming IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities. As cities take on a more defined role in the global climate landscape, Sweden’s mission-oriented model, governance tools and international partnerships position the country to support the next phase of global climate action in 2026 and beyond.