Compact of Mayors gains further momentum at ICLEI World Congress

At the ICLEI World Congress in Seoul today, 36 leading cities, including Johannesburg, Paris and Seoul, announced their intent to comply with the Compact of Mayors – the global effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions, track progress and prepare for the impacts of climate change. The news gives further momentum to the burgeoning movement, which added 20 new cities at the C40 Latin America Mayors Forum last month. The progress underscores the role of cities in helping nations set and achieve aggressive climate targets, on the road to the Paris and beyond.

“One of the most effective ways cities are fighting climate change is through the Compact of Mayors,” Michael R. Bloomberg, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change said. “The Compact reflects the commitment that cities are making to reduce carbon emissions and the crucial role they play in creating a healthier future. As nations come together to negotiate a global climate treaty later this year, the Compact of Mayors offers proof that international cooperation on climate change can produce big results.”

By committing to the Compact, cities are also leading by example, taking bold and meaningful climate actions and pushing for a strong agreement in Paris 2015. Through the Compact of Mayors, and the climate actions that underpin it, they are turning the climate challenge into an opportunity to build a low carbon and climate resilient future.

Indeed, at the World Congress event today, Seoul Mayor Park Won Soon pledged to mobilize cities around the Compact, and pursue a suite of world-class climate actions in collaboration with other cities. Moreover, ICLEI launched a Transformative Actions Program, which will select 100 transformative projects ahead of December’s Paris Climate Conference with the aim of enhancing capital flows to cities.

Read the full ICLEI press release here.

Click here to check out the new Compact of Mayors website, launched today.