9:30 14:30 Session I:  On the role of Covenant Ambassadors within a vertical governance model

The Committee of the Regions has greatly contributed to the successful development of the Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy. The CoR's Covenant Ambassadors play an active part in mobilizing their peers in Europe and further afield, but also help to steer this initiative politically. This event aims to take stock of the latest developments in the Covenant, and will explore new opportunities relating to the CoM's governance, including at national level.

14:00 17:00 Session II:  Financing climate action at local regional level: funding opportunities for the   mitigation challenge

Cities and regions are the level of government where national commitments to mitigating climate change and adapting to its effects are enacted. Subnational authorities are ultimately responsible for making policy a reality: according to UNDP estimates, more than 70% of climate change mitigation and up to 90% of climate change adaptation measures are undertaken by local and regional governments.
However, one of the main difficulties local and regional authorities face when implementing climate and energy actions is the lack of financial resources. This conference aims to provide information on a number of financing programmes and initiatives that can help local and regional authorities implement the climate actions they are committed to. The discussions will focus on how to improve access to such opportunities with a view to fund income- and non-income-generating projects, deploy effective funding strategies for climate mitigation, and ultimately boost cities' and regions' carbon reduction potential.