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World Mayors Council endorses response for strong climate action; elects new chair
by Don KnappReposted from the ICLEI World Congress Blog:
Mayors and representatives of local governments around the world came together on Sunday morning, 17 June 2012, in the Noble Hall of the Municipality of Belo Horizonte for the General Meeting of the General Council of Mayors of ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability).
In approving Assembly resolution that will be handed over to representatives of the United Nations (UN) during Rio +20, the participants dealt with other agendas such as the indication of the mayor of Seoul, South Korea, Park Won Soon, as the new chair of the Council. Park will assume the presidency at the next convention of ICLEI in October 2012.
The meeting was held on the last day of the ICLEI World Congress 2012, held in Belo Horizonte since 14 June. The Mayor of Belo Horizonte and host of the event, Marcio Lacerda, opened the Assembly. Other Brazilian leaders like the Mayor of Sao Paulo, Gilberto Kassab and the Mayor of Victoria and President of the National Front of Mayors, John Carlos Coser were also present.
After the introduction of themes, the executive secretary of ICLEI, Martin Lees, made a brief presentation of a report commissioned by the United Nations (UN) that will appear in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.
The report took two years to develop and presents, in detail, the types of climate changes that are occurring on the planet, its consequences for human life, what are the causes and effective measures to be taken are. At the end of the presentation, Mayor Maldonado in Uruguay and a representative of Mercocities, Oscar dos Santos, addressed the challenges of being a leading city for the environment. Santos appealed to the international community that cities receive more support and incentives in sustainability projects. The Mayor of Victoria supported the statement and added the difficulties of municipalities to manage all activities for preservation of the environment without the support of other spheres of government.
After discussions, the letter to be delivered to world leaders at the Rio +20 was read and approved unanimously by all the authorities present.The document contains suggestions for reducing carbon emissions, requires the support of the international community for the sake of the environment and suggests the creation of a fund for investment in sustainable technologies.
The Mayor of Hiroshima in Japan suggested a document topic on a global disarmament campaign be added. Disarmament for Sustainable Development was added to the document. It is to be delivered by ICLEI Secretary General Konrad Otto-Zimmermann to the United Nations representatives in Rio de Janeiro.
The leaders also participated in a ICLEI conference in Park City, in the plenary Local Leadership in Global Governance for Sustainable Development. The Mayor of Sao Paulo, Gilberto Kassab, made a brief presentation of sustainable projects developed and put the state capital available for any project in favor of the environment.
The executive secretary of the program emphasized the need to join efforts to fight poverty and climate change. Participants agreed that quick action is needed to reduce carbon emissions, improve the infrastructure of cities, remove people from hazardous areas and preserve the planet's biodiversity.
The main members and participants of the Conference of Local Governments for Sustainability will proceed to the Rio de Janeiro on Monday, 18 June, to attend the World Conference Rio +20.
