On 12-14 October 2008, city representatives, local government associations, experts and representatives from key organisations met for three days in Geneva to co-ordinate local action concerning the post-2012 climate agreement.

Hosted by the City Government of Geneva, and on invitation of Local Government Climate Roadmap Partners worldwide, the meeting included hearings with experts from the UN, NGOs and academia who provided input into the deliberations. The focus was on identifying relevant issues to coordinate future climate strategies for local governments, especially towards the Conference of the Parties (COP) 2008 in Poznań (COP 14) and 2009 in Copenhagen (COP 15) - as part of the Local Government Climate Roadmap.

The meeting saw general agreement on the key role of local governments in mitigating climate change and facilitating adaptation to the unavoidable effects of such change. As human settlements – especially those in developing countries – will bear the brunt of the negative effects of climate change, cities have a unique responsibility to raise their voice in the discussions surrounding the preparation of a post-2012 climate deal.

Click on the links below to download a PDF version of the following documents:
Final participant list
Symposium programme
Summary Report "Geneva Climate Strategy Outline" towards COP 15

The speeches held at the Geneva Symposium can be downloaded here.