SURGe Initiative Was Launched on 17 November

Cities are a major source of GHG emissions, contributing to the climate crisis even as they struggle with the effects of climate change. At the same time, cities are committed to battling climate change, with many cities declaring climate emergencies even before their nations have done so.

Recognizing the need to include cities in delivering the Paris Agreement, the COP 27 Presidency, in collaboration with UN-Habitat and facilitated by İCLEİ, will launch the SURGe Initiative (Sustainable Urban Resilience for the  Next Generation)  on 17 November 2022, as part of the Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change. 

The objective of the initiative is ”to enhance and accelerate local and urban climate action through multi-level governance, engagement and delivery through five integrated tracks, contributing to achieving the Paris Climate Goals and Sustainable Development Goals.”

The initiative is focused on five tracks:

– Buildings and housing

– urban energy

– urban waste/consumption

– urban mobility

– urban water.

Just as the initiative calls for accelerating urban action, there is also recognition of the serious challenges that  cities face in their attempt to cut GHG emissions:

– Multi-level governance: Insufficient recognition of local and urban climate action at the national and international level

– Finance: Not enough climate finance is reaching the local level

– Local capacity: Local governments often lack technical and human resources to address climate issues

– Access to technology and innovation: Technological and process innovations do not reach all cities due to significant research and action gaps

– Equity: Urban vulnerable groups are disproportionately and adversely affected by climate change

The SURGe Initiative aims to accelerate urban climate action by addressing these challenges.

For the background on the SURGe İnitiative, watch İCLEİ Global Advocacy  Director Yunus Arikan’s video:  ‘’Background of the SURGe Initiative launched at COP27’’

The report can be accessed here.