COP 10: Side Event, December 2004, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Local Governments had a significant participation at the 10th Conference of the Parties through different activities and events organised, for example by ICLEI. Several activities were developed to highlight and raise awareness on the role of local governments in fighting global warming, including the “CDM opportunities for Local Governments” seminar and the VII CCP-LACS Workshop.
On December 13, the Mayor of Buenos Aires, Aníbal Ibarra, signed a declaration with mayors and officials from Barcelona, Spain, Salt Lake City, USA, Milano, Italy, Palmas, Brazil and Abbosford, Canada. In the document, the mayors “call on the Parties to the UNFCCC to recognise the key role of local Governments in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and urge the Parties to channel resources to projects that operate at the local level”.
The mayors urged “national governments, financial institutions, the private sector and civil society to bolster our efforts by mobilising resources and channeling investment to projects that can truly make a difference: projects that operate at the local level and in requesting assistance, we ask delegates of COP-10 to remember that local government is separate and distinct from national governments and NGOs”.
More information:
Local Government Leaders’ Statement at the Tenth Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change