Local Government delegation meet UN Secretary General

On 23 April, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and UN-Habitat, with the support of Cities Alliance, brought together local and regional governments leaders and networks at a meeting in New York.

ICLEI President David Cadman attended the meeting. They presented the key messages by Local and Regional Governments for Rio+20 to the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, United Nations officials and the Group of Friends of Sustainable Cities.
 
The document "Joint Messages of Local and Sub-national Governments", signed by ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, UCLG, Metropolis, C40, NRG4SD, FOGAR, with the support of the Ford Foundation and UN-Habitat, put forward eight recommendations to reach a sustainable urbanization, metropolization and regionalization.

The agreement emphasizes urbanization as a driver for economic world growth and development. Local and Regional governments highlight that it is in the cities around the world that the pressures of globalization, migration, social inequality, environmental pollution, climate change and youth unemployment are most directly felt. And that urban areas have for centuries been cradles of innovation and that they currently produce above 75% of the worlds of GDP. In this regard, cities and regions stress the need of achieving cities that are environmentally sustainable, socially responsible and economically productive.

Local and regional authorities engaged in a dialogue with the Group of Friends of Sustainable Cities, a group of 29 countries co-chaired by Sweden and Singapore who recognize the importance of these issues. The United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, pointed out that "Our struggle for global sustainability will be won or lost in cities," and that, "Sustainable cities are crucial to our future well-being".

Read "Joint Messages of Local and Sub-national Governments". For further information visit www.iisd.ca/uncsd/iinzod2/enbots/, or read more at www.cities-localgovernments.org or read the speech by the UN Secretary General at www.un.org/sg/statements/index.asp?nid=6014

The meeting was held on day one of the final New York preparatory meeting for the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development to be held on 20-22 June in Rio de Janeiro. Find our more about ICLEI's role, advocacy and events around Rio+20 at www.iclei.org/local2012.