Representatives from Türkiye and Europe Met in Istanbul for Multi-Level Governance in Climate Action
The platform, which aims to create a synergy between the local climate action plans prepared and implemented by local governments and national climate action plans prepared by the national government, and to establish national, regional and international cooperation, was established in 2023 to be tested together with the municipalities in the Marmara Region. The municipalities that will be involved in the testing period are Avcılar Municipality, Bağcılar Municipality, Çorlu Municipality, Edirne Municipality, İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Küçükçekmece Municipality, Pendik Municipality and Sakarya Metropolitan Municipality. Representatives on the platform throughout 2023 will discuss the problems they encounter in the field and their possible solutions, opportunities for international cooperation, project development and financing. Starting from the beginning of 2024, the platform will invite municipalities that are signatories of the Covenant of Mayors from all regions of Türkiye to be a part of the platform, under the leadership of the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye.
M. Cemil Arslan, Secretary General of the Marmara Municipalities Union, which plays a key role in implementation in 2023, expressed the following about the platform: “As the closest administrative units to the public, the key actors in transforming strategic decisions into implementation are local governments. Energy, transportation and waste management must be carried out with an effective process management and our cities should be more resilient to the effects of climate change. The very first and crucial step of this is the preparation of climate action plans with a multi-layered and multi-stakeholder approach. It contributes significantly to the climate action plan preparations of MMU members and encourages them. We believe that one of the important steps to contribute to the strengthening of this will in the coming period will be the Multi-Level Governance Platform (MLGP). MMU is in the Platform's Secretariat, Steering Committee and Advisory Committee. We foresee that it will be possible to increase interaction at national, regional and local level, facilitate information sharing, strengthen communication and design climate policies effectively with the Platform.”
Türkiye Team Leader Daiva Matonienė of the project “EU 4 Energy Transition: Covenant of Mayors in the Western Balkans and Türkiye”, which implements the Multi-Level Governance Platform, said, “We are very happy to work in close cooperation with our stakeholders in Türkiye since the first day of our project. Projects have a certain lifespan, but within the scope of this project, the top priority for us is sustainability. That's why we try to make sustainable plans by including relevant local and national institutions at every stage of the project. We are in line with our stakeholders that a multi-level governance approach is needed in many areas, but perhaps most in the areas of combating climate change and energy transition, given the urgency of the issue and the risks we face. As the Central Project Management Agency, we will continue to work together with all relevant actors, and by demonstrating our experience and expertise on the subject, to achieve Türkiye’s net zero emission targets regarding climate change and to ensure the active involvement of local governments in this process.”.
“EU 4 Energy Transition: Covenant of Mayors in the Western Balkans and Türkiye”, is funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, implemented by GIZ in the Western Balkans and CPMA in Türkiye.
For more information: İlknur Şahin, Project Assistant / [email protected]
