Antalya, Türkiye, 9 November 2026 — As COP31 opens in Antalya, Türkiye, UN-Habitat is offering governments support to translate their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs 3.0) into practical urban implementation strategies. Through the Sustainable Urban Resilience for the Next Generation (SURGe) initiative, launched by the COP27 Presidency in collaboration with UN-Habitat and ICLEI, the support will help countries identify urban climate priorities, coordinate action across levels of government and sectors, and develop pathways towards investment-ready projects.
Turning national commitments into local action
UN-Habitat analysis shows that 80 per cent of NDCs 3.0 contain well-developed urban content, compared with 50 per cent in the previous round of national climate plans.
This growing recognition of cities in national climate commitments makes implementation the next challenge. Governments must determine how to translate these commitments into coordinated action, identify the investments needed and bring national and local priorities together.
What the support involves
UN-Habitat will work with interested governments to co-develop urban implementation strategies tailored to their national and local contexts. The support covers four areas:
- Assessing urban priorities: Identifying climate priorities, opportunities and entry points within NDCs 3.0.
- Aligning stakeholders: Bringing together national and subnational governments and other relevant actors to coordinate implementation.
- Developing implementation roadmaps: Translating national commitments into clear priorities, actions and responsibilities.
- Connecting action with finance: Building pipelines of investment-ready projects and identifying opportunities to mobilize climate finance.
By connecting national climate targets with local planning, governance and investment, these strategies can help countries accelerate emissions reductions and strengthen resilience in their cities.
From COP31 commitments to implementation
With COP31 now underway, the focus is on how countries can turn their climate commitments into measurable results. Cities and local governments will be essential to this effort, translating national priorities into action across sectors, neighbourhoods and communities.
UN-Habitat is inviting interested governments to explore how the support can help advance their NDC 3.0 implementation. Countries can contact the climate support helpdesk at unhabitat-climate@un.org.
About SURGe
Launched by the COP27 Presidency in collaboration with UN-Habitat and ICLEI, the Sustainable Urban Resilience for the Next Generation (SURGe) initiative is operationalized by UN-Habitat with support from the Slovak Republic. It supports countries in placing cities at the centre of their NDCs and advancing urban climate action. The initiative also brings national and local experiences to global discussions through platforms including ministerial meetings at UNFCCC COPs and the Innovate4Cities conferences.
Cover photo: © UN Climate Change/Kubilay Citfci