Within the process of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), local and subnational governments are represented by the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency. This gathers networks of local and subnational governments that are accredited to the UNFCCC as observers. Together with business (BINGOs) and environmental NGOs (ENGOs), LGMA was one of the first observer groups following the UNFCCC process since 1995. ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability acts as the focal point of the LGMA Constituency.

Keeping with this advocacy for local- and subnational governments in the global climate change negotiation context, another broader coalition (not requiring UNFCCC accreditation) of networks of local and subnational governments has emerged under the Local Government Climate Roadmap (LGCR). LGCR started at the UNFCCC 13^th Conference of Parties (COP13) in Bali 2007, advocating for the recognition, engagement, and empowerment of local governments in the global climate regime.

This year, for the first time in over 20 years of negotiations within the UNFCCC framework, parties will aim to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on the climate that will keep global warming below 2°C at the 21^st Conference of Parties (COP21) in Paris. Local- and subnational governments will continue to actively advocate for swift and transformative climate action within and outside the COP21 negotiation process. These efforts will be supported by the Transformative Actions Program (TAP) at the COP21 and beyond. For further information particularly on the TAP, please check the official website: http://tap-potential.org/.