One hundred days from today, on December 4, 2015, the Climate Summit for Local Leaders will be held at the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP21).

The COP21 Climate Conference, which will take place between November 30 and December 11, 2015, in Paris, will bring together world leaders with the goal of reaching an agreement on a strategy to limit greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

As part of this effort, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and Michael R. Bloomberg, UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, will jointly chair a Climate Summit for Local Leaders.

The Summit will empower cities, local and subnational governments, and their communities to set more ambitious emissions reduction targets, create realistic plans to achieve those targets, and consistently report on their progress. Even more importantly, the meeting will help ensure that the voices of cities are heard at COP21, and that their efforts are reflected in the negotiations for the new climate agreement.

Therefore, local leaders are already working on a significant initiative. More than 100 cities have committed to the Compact of Mayors – a global coalition of mayors and municipal officials pledging to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen resilience to climate change, and track their progress transparently.

Rio de Janeiro, the first city in full compliance with the Compact of Mayors.

Today, the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro and President of C40, Eduardo Paes, announced that his city is in full compliance with the Compact's criteria. Rio is the first city in the world to achieve the Compact's compliance mark.

“I am proud that Rio de Janeiro is the first city in the world to be fully compliant with the criteria of the Compact of Mayors, and I invite all cities to join this fundamental initiative on the Road to Paris and beyond,” said Mayor Eduardo Paes. “Cities are climate leaders and are in the best position to effect real change. The actions we take locally will have a global impact, and by improving our city, we will be helping to create a better world for today’s urban citizens and future generations.”

Seoul Mayor and ICLEI President Park Won Soon also shared his message regarding Rio de Janeiro's leadership in local climate action. “Being the first city in full compliance with the Compact, Rio de Janeiro makes it clear to the world that cities are leading the way in addressing the challenges of global warming,” said the Mayor. “ICLEI Member Cities will follow Rio's lead in responding to climate change.”

ICLEI, together with C40 and UCLG, manages the Compact of Mayors, and will recruit more cities along the way to COP21.

Transformative Action Program

Furthermore, in an attempt to increase recognition of local action, ICLEI will bring up to 100 of the most ambitious and innovative local climate projects to COP21 through the Transformative Action Programme (TAP). These projects will be presented in the “Cities and Regions Pavilion – TAP2015”.

TAP is a 10-year initiative of local and subnational government networks to accelerate the implementation of local action in combating climate change. The initiative advocates for cities and regions to access climate finance and helps cities develop fundable climate projects.

For more information:

To register for TAP, go to: tap-potential.org/pt

Regarding the Mayors' Compact: www.compactofmayors.org