Compact of Mayors
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions, report publicly and annually on progress and prepare for the impacts of climate change.
Launched at the 2014 United Nations Climate Summit, the Compact of Mayors is the world’s largest coalition of city leaders addressing climate change by pledging to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, tracking their progress and preparing for the impacts of climate change
The Compact of Mayors was launched by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, Michael R. Bloomberg, under the leadership of the world’s global city networks – C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40), ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) and the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) –with support from UN-Habitat, the UN’s lead agency on urban issues. The Compact establishes a common platform to capture the impact of cities’ collective actions through standardized measurement of emissions and climate risk, and consistent, public reporting of their efforts. Through the Compact, cities are:
Increasing their visibility as leaders responding to climate change;
Demonstrating their commitment to an ambitious global climate solution, particularly as nations convene around a new climate agreement in Paris in December 2015;
Encouraging direct public and private sector investments in cities by meeting transparent standards that are similar to those followed by national governments;
Building a consistent and robust body of data on the impact of city action; and
Accelerating more ambitious, collaborative, and sustainable local climate action.
Ultimately, the Compact of Mayors provides hard evidence that cities are true climate leaders, and that local action can have a significant global impact.
