MULTILEVEL GOVERNANCE FOR INTEGRATED URBAN PLANNING

National governments can deliver their climate and environmental commitments but need local governments and local action in cities to do so efficiently and to the necessary level of ambition. In turn, local governments and their cities require clear mandates and resources, also to access the required finance without explicit national engagement, guidance and support.

In the UrbanShift project, funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) under GEF-7, we explored this in a practical approach in nine countries, co-designed a way forward and close this gap: National–Local Dialogues (NLDs) addressing Multilevel Governance (MLG) and a wide array of topics that have the potential for high impact local action and could contribute to national targets, were organized. These dialogues led to eight co-developed Country Roadmaps owned by their respective national and local governments, outlining a way forward on how MLG could support and advance joint and collaborative action across different levels of government.

This report outlines how UrbanShift and ICLEI guided the approach. It distills what happened in the dialogues - what worked, what did not, and how others can replicate and scale this impactful MLG model. This report addresses national line ministries, mayors and city officials, as well as development partners and financiers who are key to ensuring we accelerate climate action, moving from strategy and plans to real projects on the ground.