COVID-19: FAQ on Reporting for GCoM Cities and Local Governments
11 May 2020
The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) fully recognizes the socioeconomic, political, and geographical impacts that COVID-19 is having on communities around the world. As cities and local governments develop sustainable recovery plans, GCoM seeks to clarify its reporting principles for cities committed to the alliance in 2020.
FAQ on reporting
1. The GCoM alliance is committed to providing flexibility in the 2020 reporting process and timeline to cities and local governments. Both MyCovenant and the CDP-ICLEI Unified Reporting System are open and actively receiving submissions for the 2020 reporting cycle, and cities are invited to report if they have the capacity to do so.
2. Cities and local governments committed to GCoM – or wishing to commit and thus report – are invited, but not required, to reporttheir climate data and actions to any of the alliance’s recognized reporting platforms.
- Cities reporting to MyCovenant may submit their information at any point in 2020.
- Cities reporting to the CDP-ICLEI Unified Reporting Systemmay submit their information at any point between 06 April 2020 and 31 December 2020.
- Cities who do not report their climate data and actions by 31 December 2020 must submit for the 2021 reporting cycle. These details will be released at a later date.
3. Cities and local governments will not lose any badges earned and maintained in the 2019 reporting cycle, regardless of whether or not they report data in the 2020 reporting cycle. Recognizing the challenges that cities may face in accessing inventory data, dedicating resources to city climate reporting, and/or rapidly-changing priorities on the ground due to COVID-19, any GCoM badges earned prior to the 2020 reporting cycle will be maintained – even if these badges were set to expire without further reporting in 2020[1].
4. Cities who choose to report in 2020 and fulfill reporting requirements as outlined in the Common Reporting Framework (CRF) will qualify for and may be awarded GCoM badges in the 2020 reporting cycle. The validity period for any badges earned in 2020 will start from the year 2020. The validity period for badges maintained from previous years starts from the year each badge was first earned.
5. The Global Secretariat, Regional/National Helpdesks, and reporting platforms remain at the disposal of GCoM local governments For any questions or concerns about reporting in 2020, please reach out to us at [email protected]
[1] For further information on reporting timelines for GCoM committed cities and local governments, please refer to the Common Reporting Framework and/or contact your regional helpdesk.
Last modified 11 May 2020