GPSC Mayors Round Table and Urban Nature Forum
In the lead-up to COP30, a series of high-level gatherings will take place in Rio de Janeiro from November 3–6, 2025, bringing together mayors and local leaders from around the world. These events will spotlight bold city leadership on climate action, highlight subnational priorities, and mobilize resources for an ambitious and inclusive COP30 agenda. The program will feature two main moments: the COP30 Local Leaders Forum and the GPSC Mayors Round Table and Urban Nature Forum.
The GPSC Mayors Round Table and Urban Nature Forum (November 5–6), convened by the Global Platform for Sustainable Cities (GPSC) – led by the World Bank with the support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) – together with International Finance Corporation (IFC) and in collaboration with UNEP, C40, ICLEI, WRI, and other partners, will provide a platform for high-level dialogue, peer learning, and technical exchange. It will position cities and local governments as key actors in achieving nature-positive, resilient, and inclusive development ahead of COP30, and mark the official launch of the GEF-8 Sustainable Cities Integrated Program (SCIP), a global initiative to help cities implement integrated solutions across climate, biodiversity, and the circular economy.
The GPSC events include:
- Mayors Round Table (November 5)—a high-level dialogue among city leaders on sustainable and inclusive urban development, including the official launch of the GEF-8 SCIP.
- Urban Nature Forum (November 6) – focusing on urban nature policy, planning, and financing to scale solutions for climate resilience and biodiversity.
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AGENDA
Wednesday, November 5 - GPSC MAYORS ROUND TABLE
OPENING SESSION
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Ming Zhang, Global Director, Urban, Resilience and Land, World Bank
Cheryl Hanway, Regional Director for Infrastructure, IFC
Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, CEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility
Launch the GEF Sustainable Cities Integrated Program
SESSION 1 – Financing Needs and Opportunities
Opening Remarks
Cheryl Hanway, Regional Director for Infrastructure, IFC
Interventions by Mayors
Belize City, Belize: Bernard Wagner, Mayor
Placencia, Belize: Warren Garbutt, Mayor
Brazzaville, Congo: Dieudonné Bantsimba, Mayor
Castries, St Lucia: Geraldine Lendor-Gabriel, Mayor
Douala IV, Cameroon: Edouard Hervé Mony Mpah, Mayor
Glasgow, United Kingdom: Susan Aitken, Councillor
Lo Espejo, Chile: Javiera Paz Reyes Jara, Mayor
Cape Town, South Africa: Edwin Andrews, Deputy Mayor
Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine: Mykola Vavryshchuk, Deputy Mayor
Sofia, Bulgaria: Nadezhda Bobcheva, Deputy Mayor
Ningbo, China: YAO Kejun, Deputy Secretary-General of the Municipal Government
Bogotá, Colombia: Carlos Fernando Galán, Mayor
SESSION 2 – Options for Subnational Financing
Lightning Talk: Financial instruments for sub-national financing
Ming Zhang, Global Director, World Bank Group
Reflections from Financial Institutions
Lin O'Grady, Deputy Head, EBRD
Tatiana Gallego Lizón, Chief of Housing and Urban Development, IDB
Bheki Zwane, Principal Investment Officer, DBSA
Upasana Varma, Principal Investment Officer, IFC
Aloke Barnwal, Thematic Lead, Urban and Infrastructure, GEF Secretariat
Interactive Discussion
Joe Gqabi, South Africa: N.P Mposelwa, Executive Mayor
Thulamela, South Africa: A.S Rambuda, Executive Mayor
San Pedro Town, Belize: Gualberto "Wally" Nunez, Mayor
City Government of Baguio, Philippines: Atty. Fred L. Bagbagen, Councilor
Sao Paulo, Brazil: Luis Felipe Vidal Arellano, Secretary of Finance
Panama City, Panama: Salvador Alan Aviad Cattan, Chief of Staff
Rosario, Argentina: Rogelio Biazzi, Chief of Staff of the Municipality of Rosario
Zrenjanin, Serbia: Bojan Radulov, Assistant Mayor
Novi Sad, Serbia: Vanja Petkovic, Deputy Head of the City Administration for Environmental Protection
Moderator: Augustin Maria, Lead Urban Specialist, World Bank
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Thursday, November 6 – URBAN NATURE FORUM
OPENING SESSION
Opening Remarks
Ming Zhang, Global Director, World Bank Group
Diep Nguyen-Van Houtte, Senior Manager, IFC
Hong Peng Lei, Director, UNEP
Aloke Barnwal, Thematic Lead, Urban and Infrastructure, GEF
Presentation on Urban Nature Program
Xueman Wang, Program Manager, GPSC, World Bank
SESSION 1 – Rethinking the Built Environment
Presentation of City Practice
Gabriel Olle Dalmazo, Secretariat of Food and Nutritional Security, Curitiba, Brazil
Sidney Ribaux, Director, Office of Ecological Transition and Resilience, Montreal, Canada
Robert Sangori, Deputy Director, Urban Governance, Management and Resilience, Nairobi, Kenya
Wu Tao, Professor, Ningbo Nottingham University, on behalf of Ningbo Municipality, China
Roundtable Discussion
Discussants:
Brenden Jongman, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist, World Bank
Diep Nguyen-Van Houtte, Senior Manager, IFC
Round 1: What are the biggest challenges for cities to incorporate green and blue infrastructure into grey infrastructure?
Round 2: What are the key ingredients for making this shift successful, including what support is needed for cities?
Moderated by Xueman Wang, World Bank
SESSION 2 – Scaling Up Green and Resilient Infrastructure through Multistakeholder Collaboration
Interventions by Organizations
UNEP, ICLEI, C40, WRI, IFLA, AIPH
Discussion with Cities: With many initiatives around the world, from the perspectives of cities, what would be an efficient way to channel support to cities?
Moderated by Aloke Barnwal, Thematic Lead, GEF Secretariat
SESSION 3 – Unlocking Financing for Resilient and Green Urban Infrastructure
Opportunities and Challenges of Unlocking Subnational Financing
Recap from Mayors Roundtable: Ming Zhang, Global Director for Urban, Resilience and Land, World Bank
City-FI Joint Presentations
Each participating FI — IFC, IBRD, EBRD, IDB, and DBSA — will invite one partner city to jointly present a green and resilient infrastructure project.
Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine: Mykola Vavryshchuk, Deputy Mayor
Lin O'Grady, Deputy Head, EBRD
Sao Paulo, Brazil: Luis Felipe Vidal Arellano, Secretary of Finance
John Morton, Senior Infrastructure Specialist, IBRD
South Africa (city TBC)
DBSA
Barranquilla, Colombia: Carlos Sarabia, Director
Maria Camila Uribe, Principal Lead, IDB
IFC
Closing Reflections
Moderated by Upasana Varma, Principal Investment Officer, IFC
Next Steps: Urban Nature Program
Xueman Wang, GPSC Program Manager
Closing Remarks
Ming Zhang, Global Director, Urban, Resilience and Land, World Bank
