COVENANT OF MAYORS FOR CLIMATE AND ENERGY (CoM East)
Covenant of Mayors East (CoM East) is the EU-funded project aimed at introducing the EU climate and energy initiative to the Eastern Partnership countries. CoM East supports local authorities in implementing sustainable energy policies, reducing their dependency on fossil fuels, improving the security of energy supply, and facilitates their contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
- Duration of the project: June 2016 — May 2020
- The Covenant Supporters in Belarus: Interakcia Foundation, IPO" Ecopartnership"
- The Project is implemented by Energy Cities-led Consortium
CoM East Signatories commit to:
- Reducing СО2 emissions by 30% by 2030;
- Enhancing resilience by adapting to the impacts of climate change and undertaking a climate change risk and vulnerability assessment;
- Developing a Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) within two years.
CoM East helps in:
- Fostering the Eastern Partnership (EaP) cities’ development and implementation of their Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans;
- Enhancing sustainability of the Covenant of Mayors in the EaP countries and adapting the EU 2030 energy and climate objectives to the regional context;
- Raising awareness of and promoting the new Covenant.
CoM East core activities:
- Capacity building to strengthen the expertise of Covenant National Coordinators (CNC), Covenant Territorial Coordinators (CTC), Covenant Supporters (CS) and Signatories in the field of energy and climate policies.
- Operating the Country Helpdesks to provide an administrative, promotional and technical assistance to the CoM East Signatories and other stakeholders.
- Networking with financing institutions, international donors, relevant ministries, and cooperating with other initiatives and programmes to develop a plan for achieving CoM East objectives and give strategic direction to the CoM East Project after 2020
- Communicating the CoM East results and achievements to Signatories, CNC, CTC and CS; promoting and raising awareness of key stakeholders about the Covenant's targets and benefits, achievements, success stories, best practices, etc.
- Coordinating development of the country strategies with national, international and EU initiatives, programmes, as well as embedding the Covenant of Mayors initiative in the Eastern Partnership countries.
CoM East expected results:
- Strengthened capacity of Signatories, Covenant National and Territorial Coordinators and Covenant Supporters via delivery of train-the-trainers workshops, study tours, staff exchanges, thematic seminars, webinars and trainings, individual consultations, etc.;
- Fully operational Country Helpdesks providing administrative, promotional and technical assistance to CoM East Signatories and stakeholders;
- Networking and cooperating activities, matchmaking meetings organised to establish long-term cooperation with financiers, donors and ministries;
- Well promoted CoM East benefits, results and achievements at national and international levels through organising and participating in different events, conducting awareness campaigns and information activities;
- Coordinated and monitored Signatories’ progress and performance of SECAPs; the Covenant political commitment tailored to the EaP countries’ national needs.
CoM East acts for:
- Local authorities interested in committing to the new Covenant and developing a Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan;
- Covenant signatory cities that have developed their Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs) and Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs);
- Covenant National Coordinators, Covenant Territorial Coordinators and Covenant Supporters directly involved in the capacity building and networking activities.
Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy in Belarus
At the moment there are 17 active signatories of the Covenant of Mayors: Beryoza, Braslav, Brest, Vetka, Vileyka, Vitebsk, Glybokоye, Klichev, Kobrin, Mogilev, Novogrudok, Orsha, Oshmyany, Polotsk, Rogachev, Sharkovshchina, Chausy.
How to join the Covenant of Mayors?
The Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy is open to all local authorities democratically constituted with/by elected representatives, whatever their size and whatever the stage of implementation of their energy and climate policies. As the initiative requires the design and implementation of a comprehensive Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP), the signatory’s governing bodies should have adequate competences in various fields, such as transport, buildings, land use planning, climate change adaptation etc.
If an interested local authority lacks competences or resources to prepare its action plan, it should be supported by administrations with such capacities, i.e. Covenant Territorial Coordinators or Supporters.
Learn more about the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy >>>
What is Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan? >>>