About the UCAP CAI Programme
Supported by UK government funding through the Urban Climate Action Programme (UCAP), C40’s UCAP Climate Action Implementation (CAI) Programme is expanding support for 15 C40 cities across Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia in implementing ambitious climate action plans.
Between January 2022 to December 2025, C40 is providing tailored technical assistance and capacity building to support city-led efforts and projects to develop low-emission public transport systems, sustainable urban mobility planning, sustainable waste management, renewable energy efficiency in buildings, climate-smart buildings codes, and incorporate climate action into city governance, planning and decision-making structures.
From 2018 to 2021, C40 provided technical assistance and resources to 35 cities to develop climate action plans that effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance climate resilience. Accra, Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi, Tshwane, Bogotá, Guadalajara, Medellín, Mexico City, Lima, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Quezon City were selected to receive the UCAP funding by the UK Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), based on input and expertise provided by C40.
Through UCAP CAI, we support cities in prioritising fairness and inclusivity in climate policies and urban decisions. C40 helps cities integrate equity and inclusion by involving marginalised groups in decision-making and ensuring benefits are distributed equitably. Examples include supporting Bogotá’s electric bus fleet operated mostly by women, improving worker engagement in waste management in Dar es Salaam, and ensuring accessibility criteria are considered when selecting public buildings in Jakarta.
Programme updates will be published on this web page regularly; jump to Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia for updates from each city. Jump to UCAP CAI Impact Stories to see how the programme is making a difference.
Africa
The high-impact implementation actions for cities in the African region will deliver renewable energy, green buildings, sustainable waste management and climate mainstreaming to help these cities to secure a greener future.
Delegates and representatives from the cities of Accra, Addis Ababa, Dar Es Salaam, Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi and Tshwane participated in the regional launch of CAI Programme on 19 July 2022 in Johannesburg, hosted by Mpho Phalatse, the former Executive Mayor of Johannesburg and former C40 Vice Chair for Africa.
Accra
Addis Ababa
Dar Es Salaam
Johannesburg
Lagos
Nairobi
Latin America
C40 is providing tailored technical assistance and capacity building to Bogotá, Guadalajara, Lima, Medellín and Mexico City, in support of city-led efforts to improve energy efficiency and transportation systems and to incorporate climate considerations into planning and governance.
Formal events to launch the new collaboration have occurred in each city. The events were officiated by the respective mayors or their municipal secretaries, including Mayors Rafael López Aliaga of Lima, Daniel Quintero of Medellín, Claudia López of Bogotá and Pablo Lemus of Guadalajara, as well as Mexico City’s Secretary of Mobility Andrés Lajous.
For more information on the UCAP CAI programme in Latin America, please contact: cai_latam@c40.org.
Bogotá
Guadalajara
Lima
Medellín
Mexico City
Southeast Asia
C40 is collaborating with the local governments of Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Quezon City to implement transformational climate actions to enhance energy efficiency, expand the adoption of renewable energy in government-owned, commercial, and residential buildings, and develop climate mainstreaming activities. Watch the video above to learn how these cities are turning strategies into wider implementation to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
The programme launch ceremonies took place in August and September 2022 and were officiated by three mayors in the region: the Honourable Mayor of Quezon City, Josefina ”Joy” Belmonte, the former Governor of Jakarta, Anies Baswedan, and the former Datuk Bandar (mayor) of Kuala Lumpur, YBhg. Datuk Seri Hj. Mahadi bin Che Ngah.
For more information on the UCAP CAI programme in Southeast Asia, please contact: cai_sea@c40.org.
Kuala Lumpur
Quezon City
UCAP CAI Impact Stories
Learn how UCAP CAI is driving transformational change across 15 Global South cities and accelerating the delivery of climate action aligned with the 1.5°C targets. From Accra to Quezon City, find out how these cities are turning plans into action.
A quiet revolution has been underway in Accra. Recognising the urgent need to address climate change, the city has launched a pioneering effort to embed climate action into its governance. Today, Accra stands as a beacon of climate resilience in West Africa.
The diversion of solid waste relies on collaborative action between the city’s cleansing agency and small and medium enterprises engaged in compost production. A support package was developed to scale up organic waste diversion by building awareness and strengthening their capacity to produce high-quality compost and improve the compost value chain in the city.
Taking climate action in Dar es Salaam marks a shift from traditional practices to collaboration that ensures climate change integration. The city has advanced key recommendations that have strengthened cross-sectoral capacity, allowing it to better respond to climate challenges and embed resilience into its broader urban development efforts.
Informal settlements lack access to the city’s grid and rely on burning fuel and illegal connections, creating serious health and safety risks. To address this, a city-led solar micro-grid pilot has been launched in Amarasta, with three more projects underway, bringing clean, reliable energy to communities and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
At Ikosi fruit market, a new biogas project is set to show the viability of waste-to-energy models. Meanwhile, community-based initiatives, like organic waste composting and local stakeholder engagement, are beginning to deliver results. The next phase will build on this success by expanding the initiative’s reach across Lagos State.
To cut organic waste in Nairobi’s markets, a 10-tonne solar-powered cold storage system is being piloted at City Park Market. It’s designed to reduce high electricity costs and unreliable grid supply, providing sustainable storage for 165 traders, saving 841 tonnes of food waste annually.
Through a series of engagements, including site visits and awareness campaigns in communities across seven regions, the city is making a concerted effort to explore sustainable waste management solutions for informal settlements. Grounded in sustainable waste management practices, the project will help improve service delivery, reduce waste, and support a circular economy.
More than 430 women broke historical barriers to become electric bus drivers in the city’s first inclusive public transport operator. They received technical training, psychosocial support, and inclusive policies designed to remove the obstacles they faced, empowering them to lead a fleet of 195 e-buses in Bogotá’s La Rolita, where 60% of the drivers are now women.
Guadalajara has developed a first-of-its-kind roadmap to achieve net-zero carbon public buildings by 2050. The plan aims to improve energy efficiency, increase the use of renewable sources in public buildings, boost the city’s energy performance, create green jobs, and support a just energy transition.
Lima is undergoing a transformation to tackle rapid urbanisation, severe transport challenges, and air pollution. Through its Cyclo-Inclusive Strategy and the construction of new cycle lanes, the city is rethinking how people move. Low- & middle-income women and young students were involved in the process to ensure their needs were addressed. By 2040, the number of new cyclists could reach approximately 1.8 million.
Medellín is taking bold steps to clean up its air and cut climate pollution. A new strategy is being developed to strengthen the Clean Air Urban Zone (ZUAP), launched in 2018, ensuring it stays effective for decades to come. At the same time, a transition plan to have an e-bus fleet is moving ahead, supported by new financial alternatives.
The very first technical guidelines for e-buses and trolleybuses were developed to support the diesel-electric transition. While created for Mexico City, the tool also serves as a replicable model for other cities, helping reduce fossil fuel use in public transport across the country.
Jakarta is actively combating climate change through innovative strategies centred on sustainable building practices. At the heart of its efforts is a drive to accelerate energy and water efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A new, more ambitious city regulation is now in place, supporting national green building standards.
A user-friendly technical guide to support the implementation of a new Low-Carbon Building Checklist was launched on 1 June 2024. It helps promote the adoption of green building regulations, reducing energy use and the impacts of extreme heat.
Quezon City has approved a new Green Building Code with more ambitious targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions and electricity use from both existing and new buildings. The projected impact is equivalent to 120,000 cars off the road. The new law is also expected to create good green jobs, particularly for youth and women.
Funders
About
The UK government supports C40’s UCAP CAI Programme through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The FCDO is committed to advancing development progress worldwide through a diverse range of partnerships, which aim to reduce poverty and tackle climate change and other root causes of global crises.
Vision
The UK will reinvigorate progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to reduce poverty and tackle climate change and other root causes of global crises, making the world safer, healthier and more prosperous by 2030. This is the right thing to do and in all our interests.
Mission
The UK supports our partners to lead their own sustainable development and accelerate progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Our long-term partnerships are mutually respectful, beneficial, and accountable and draw on the full range of UK strengths and expertise to tackle shared global problems. We work to support sustainable growth and poverty reduction, including mitigating climate change, reforming the global financial system, and empowering women and girls.