Event description

Participate in Greater Sydney's first Town Hall COP! Town Hall COPs act as a bridge between communities, national governments and international climate initiatives, through evaluating local priorities for more inclusive, ambitious climate action.

WHO:

Anyone from the Greater Sydney area can participate in this event. We're looking for a mixture of diverse stakeholders- Councillors, Local Government Officials, Community, Youth, Business/ Industry, Education sector representatives who live, study or work in Councils in the Greater Sydney area. Inclusive climate action and engaging diverse stakeholders by way of Townhall COPS can strengthen urban agenda in local climate planning and national policies.

TICKETS:

Councillors and Council officers from Councils in the Greater Sydney area should use the special code to access the pool of Councillor and/or Council Officer Tickets allocated to Greater Sydney councils. Please email admin.oceania@iclei.org if you haven't received the email invitation with the code from your Mayor or CEO.

Community members, local businesses and educational institutions who live, study or work in the Greater Sydney area should book using the Community General Admission Tickets.

Councils or organisations from outside of the Greater Sydney area who want to watch proceedings can book Observer Tickets.

In order to make this event available to as many Councils as possible, there is a limit of 3 tickets per Council or organisation- if you would like more tickets than this, please email admin.oceania@iclei.org with the number of extra tickets you need and we will put you on the wait list.

WHAT:

A dialogue on progress of the Paris Agreement at the local and regional level which will focus on 3 main priorities:
1. Local commitments towards 2030 and 2050: Are Climate Action Plans driving ambitious climate action? How are local, and state governments acting on their climate emergency declarations and climate neutrality commitments, what are their needs to build their resilience to growing challenges?
2. Local and Urban components of Australia's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs): Is it fit for purpose? What is included for cities and regions in the current national plans, how can these be operationalised?
3. Climate Justice: To what degree is climate justice represented in your community and national climate action plan? How can poor, disadvantaged or vulnerable communities enjoy engagement in this transformational change and globally, how can intergenerational equity issues can be addressed?

The discussions will be based on the spirit of the Talanoa Dialogues—Where are we? Where do we want to go? How do we get there?

Coffee, tea, water and snacks will be provided.

WHY:

Community engagement matters in national and global climate action. A Town Hall COP is a dynamic community engagement platform bringing United Nations COP-style discussions to cities, towns, and regions. Basically, it is a COP brought to the local level, bringing elected leaders, council staff and constituents together to assess climate progress, share insights, discuss how they can elevate their ambition and action and collaborate with national governments. The outcomes will be reported to both the Australian national government in order to be integrated, as appropriate, in the next Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC3.0) due at COP30 in November 2025 and via the LGMA Constituency engagement at the UNFCCC.

The process fosters multilevel governance — meaning that local, regional, and national governments work together, sharing responsibilities for implementing climate action. Importantly, Town Hall COPs help integrate local voices into global climate policies, particularly countries’ Paris Agreement plans, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

Town Hall COPs are also aligned with the CHAMP (Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships) framework, launched at COP28, which seeks to strengthen collaboration across all levels of government. By engaging local authorities and incorporating their feedback into national climate strategies, this entire process strives to ensure that climate targets are not only ambitious but also realistically implementable.

Relevance of Town Hall COPS to different target groups:

Public/Residents: Town Hall COPs provide a platform for public participation in local climate policy. As community engagement events, they allow residents to share perspectives and help shape city climate plans. This aligns with the public's interest in climate issues.
Businesses: Town Hall COPs can inform business strategies and investments in sustainability. The website emphasizes the role of diverse stakeholders, which would include local businesses interested in climate solutions.
Elected Councillors: Town Hall COPs feed into national climate policy and global agreements like the Paris Agreement. This shows their value for elected officials seeking to advance multilevel climate governance.
City officials: integrating local climate efforts into national plans, demonstrating relevance of policy coordination across government levels.