The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy concluded a “highly successful” participation in the 2025 edition of the Smart City Expo World Congress, reinforcing its role as a leading global platform connecting cities with European innovators to accelerate the implementation of climate action.
As a strategic institutional partner of the congress, alongside the European Commission, UN-Habitat and the World Bank, GCoM used the occasion to deepen dialogue, highlight impactful implementation stories, and expand opportunities for climate-aligned urban development across its global network.
This year, GCoM brought together 12 signatory cities from 7 regions, including Belize City (Belize), Mombasa (Kenya), Yerevan (Armenia), Shimla (India), Figuig (Morocco), Sekondi-Takoradi (Ghana), and Basse (The Gambia).
Over three days, these cities participated in a coordinated matchmaking program with 12 European cleantech and urban innovation companies, tailored to their most urgent climate and energy priorities.
Approximately seventy-two pre-arranged meetings took place at the European Union Joint Projects Pavilion, with additional conversations emerging organically throughout the congress.
The expanded matchmaking area, co-designed with the International Urban and Regional Cooperation programme, provided an ideal environment for these strategic encounters. Delegations also participated in a guided tour of the exhibition, enabling them to discover additional European companies and explore a broader range of relevant solutions directly on the expo floor.
One of the central elements of GCoM’s participation was the ‘GCoM Implementation and Impact’ session on the Clean Tech Stage. During this session, cities and companies presented concrete examples of climate action already in motion
Among the highlights were the smart parking project implemented in Shimla through collaboration with the French company Coco Parks, a floating walkway project in Belize City developed with Blue21, and the advancement of biogas digester initiatives across several African cities in partnership with Oekobit.
These case studies demonstrated the practical value of GCoM’s global matchmaking efforts and financial technical assistance through the bankable cities activities. They underscored the momentum behind city–business cooperation as a driver of climate solutions.
GCoM’s presence at SCEWC extended well beyond the matchmaking activities. Mayor Viorica of Truseni (Moldova) delivered remarks during an EU Pavilion session organised by the Smart Cities Marketplace, a European Commission Directorate-General for Energy (DG ENER) initiative, highlighting the significant role of local governments in shaping sustainable urban futures.
GCoM delegates also contributed to IURC’s Business Engagement and Public Diplomacy Sessions, sharing perspectives on sub-national diplomacy, climate governance and regional collaboration.
Cities were invited to the high-level reception at the Royal Palace of Pedralbes hosted by the Catalan Regional Government. This event provided an exceptional setting for international networking and exchange among city, regional and program representatives.
GCoM’s participation yielded several important outcomes. The program enabled cities to advance ongoing conversations with businesses they had previously engaged, while also opening doors to new companies identified specifically for their needs.
The presence of GCoM cities at three major conferences provided valuable visibility, enabling them to share their progress and attract interest from additional solution providers and potential partners.
The collaboration with EU-funded initiatives, such as the IURC and the Smart Cities Marketplace, resulted in a deeper alignment of resources, expertise and opportunities for the participating cities.
