New ‘PhilLOCAL’ collaboration will strengthen cooperation between the national and local governments, expand access to climate data and digital tools, and help Philippine cities turn climate plans into investment-ready projects.
Antalya, Türkiye, 11 November 2026 – Taking decisive action to confront the climate emergency from the ground up, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Philippines (DENR), the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM), and C40 Cities today embark on a new partnership: PhilLOCAL (Philippine Leadership on Climate Action and Localization).
This new collaboration aims to help local governments translate national climate commitments into concrete action, strengthening climate resilience and accelerating emissions reductions across an archipelago where one in every ten people live in a city committed to the GCoM alliance.
Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), said: “The Philippines understands firsthand that climate change is not a distant threat but a daily reality affecting our communities, ecosystems, and economy. Through PhilLOCAL, we are strengthening the vital connection between national climate ambition and local action, ensuring that cities and municipalities have the tools, knowledge, and partnerships they need to build resilience and pursue low-carbon development. This collaboration reflects our commitment to empowering local governments as key partners in delivering the Philippines’ Nationally Determined Contribution, National Adaptation Plan, and CHAMP commitments. By bringing together government, global networks, technical expertise, and finance, we can help turn climate goals into practical solutions that protect lives, create opportunities, and support a more sustainable future for all Filipinos.”
The partnership aims to address a persistent challenge in climate action: while cities are on the front lines of worsening climate impacts, many local governments lack the technical capacity, action-oriented data, and access to financing needed to implement their climate plans.
Through PhilLOCAL, DENR convenes alongside the GCoM alliance and C40 Cities to close these gaps – helping Philippine local governments develop stronger climate strategies, access digital tools and technical expertise, and transform priority projects into investment-ready proposals.
This collaboration supports the implementation of the Philippines’ updated 2026 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and National Adaptation Plan, while advancing the country’s commitments under the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP) for Climate Action, which promotes stronger cooperation between national and subnational governments.
Andy Deacon, Co-Managing Director of GCoM said: “Cities are on the front lines of climate change, but too often lack the tools, resources, and financing to turn their climate plans into action. Under the leadership of DENR and galvanizing its CHAMP commitment, PhilLOCAL allows us to convene Philippine national, provincial, and local governments alongside the experts, partners, and innovators who can help close that gap. By improving access to climate data, responsible AI-assisted solutions, and investment opportunities, we can help Philippine cities better assess rapidly worsening climate hazards and risks, while supporting ambitious but hard-hit and underserved communities and local leaders.”
From Climate Planning to Local Implementation
The partnership will also help cities overcome one of the main barriers to implementation: access to climate finance. By supporting project preparation and strengthening the enabling environment for urban climate finance alongside development and financing institutions, PhilLOCAL aims to turn local climate priorities into proposals capable of attracting investment.
To strengthen implementation across the country, the partnership will promote cooperation between national and local authorities, alongside capacity-building, technical assistance and peer learning between municipalities.
In 2027, the partners will further shape these priorities and welcome broader collaboration from national government agencies and departments, local government authorities, and development and financing organizations to help align local climate action with national policies while responding to the different needs and capacities of Philippine communities.
Mark Watts, Executive Director of C40 Cities said: “The climate transition will be won or lost in cities. In a country as exposed to climate impacts as the Philippines, national ambition must translate into action that benefits and protects local communities. PhilLOCAL is an opportunity to bring national leadership and local delivery closer together, ensuring that cities and local governments are not simply implementing national climate goals, but actively shaping how those goals are achieved. This is how we turn climate commitments into lasting improvements in people’s everyday lives.”
Hon. Ma. Josefina “Joy” Belmonte, Mayor of Quezon City, GCoM Board Member, and Member of C40 said: “As cities on the frontline of the climate crisis, our responsibility is to act with urgency and equity. In Quezon City, we have seen how ambitious, people-centered policies transform lives, but scaling these solutions nationwide requires seamless alignment between national and local governments. PhilLOCAL gives Philippine mayors the institutional architecture, technical bandwidth, and data-driven tools needed to move rapidly from planning to real, lasting protection on the ground.”
Convening Philippine local governments, global expertise, and finance
Under the agreement, DENR will lead national policy alignment and local government coordination, while GCoM and C40 will contribute technical expertise, shared learnings and practices. They will also help connect Philippine cities with international finance institutions and partners, and facilitate knowledge exchange with local, provincial, and national governments around the world.
The partnership builds on the Philippines’ commitment to multilevel climate governance and its role as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Chair in 2026 and member of the CHAMP Steering Group, creating opportunities to share lessons from local climate implementation across the region and globally.
The partnership also aims to strengthen collaboration across complementary initiatives like the Global Environmental Facility/GEF-8 programme, and the CHAMP Implementation Programme (CHIP), recently launched by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).
Hon. Alfredo Coro II, Mayor of Del Carmen, Surigao, Member of the CHAMP Subnational Advisory Council, and GCoM signatory said: “Serving on the CHAMP Subnational Advisory Council reinforces a fundamental truth: national climate targets cannot be achieved without frontline, vulnerable and active local governments at the decision-making table. CHAMP was established precisely to foster this high-ambition multilevel partnership, and PhilLOCAL is that vision brought to life in the Philippines. This collaboration is testament to just, inclusive, and localized governance – connecting climate science, culture, digital tools, and financing opportunities with smaller, highly vulnerable island and coastal municipalities like Del Carmen.”