The Paris Declaration is a cross-sector initiative founded by R20 and World Climate Ltd. It is a declaration from subnational governments, business and finance to support an international climate deal during the UN COP21 in 2015. At the World Summit of Regions for Climate (WSRC) in Paris 2014, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Founder of R20, invited a coalition of governments, businesses and investors to sign it. The Declaration will travel around the world to events such as the World Climate Summit in Lima 2014, World Green Economy Summit 2015 in Dubai, World Climate Summit in Paris 2015 and others, to collect signatures from leaders, and be presented at COP21 in Paris as the strongest international Public Private Partnership platform for climate solutions. It is part of the Positive Agenda, as requested by the French Government who will be hosting the UNFCCC COP 21.
THE PARIS DECLARATION
Given the 2011 Durban Conference of the Parties, where the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP) was launched aiming ‘to develop a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force under the Convention applicable to all Parties’ of the UNFCCC (the 2015 Agreement);
Given the subsequent cycle of Conferences of the Parties in Doha 2012, the Rio+20 Conference and the COP 19 in Warsaw 2013 and considering the positions of BASIC countries, LDCs, SIDSs, G77+China and the African Group;
Alarmed by the latest (2014) report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which identifies irreversible impacts of climate change in the form of droughts, floods, disease, migration, food shortages, and calls for urgent action to cut nearly 80% from the current level of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, to contain the increase in global average temperature below 2 degrees Celsius, in order to limit the dramatic consequences of climate change;
Given the recent Declarations of mayors and local leaders on climate change, such as the Declaration of Nantes 2013 and the Climate Roadmap of Local Governments for 2013-2015, as well as the recommendations of local government organisations such as ICLEI, UCLG, C40, and the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) at and to the UNFCCC;
Given the commitment from business and finance leaders, as shown through forums like the UN Global Compact, the World Economic Forum, the World Business Council For Sustainable Development, the World Climate Summit, and the World Green Economy Summit;
Given the recommendations of think tanks, NGOs and centres of academic excellence, such as the Climate Group and CDP, urging the Parties to take urgent measures to curb the effects of global warming.
OPPORTUNITY FOR BOTTOM-UP ACTION IN FAVOUR OF THE LOW CARBON ECONOMY
We, the representatives of the Federated States, Regions and Cities, companies and investors, as well as think tanks participating in the World Summit of Regions for Climate and ongoing events and platforms on the ‘Road to Paris 2015’:
Recognize that the fight against climate change must include the “bottom-up” commitment of all stakeholders: local, regional and national l governments, businesses and the private sector, financial institutions, civil society and NGOs, academia and research, intergovernmental organizations and the international community, knowing that key sectors impacted by climate change include health, energy, water and agriculture.
We are determined to communicate the tangible contributions of sub-national governments and of their partners in order to encourage the Parties to overcome current obstacles and avoid any further delays in adopting bold measures to tackle the challenges of climate change.
Recognize that tackling climate change is a great opportunity for sustainable development if it is associated with the expansion of a low carbon economy from the “bottom-up”, at the local and sub- national, civil society, and business level, promoting the creation of new green jobs and improving the health of citizens, developing appropriate technologies, increasing renewable energy production, with better energy security and energy efficiency;
Recognize that the development of a low carbon economy must be delivered through the implementation of concrete projects at the local level, as well as at national policy level, in the field of renewable energies, energy security and energy efficiency, transportation and mobility, waste management, food security, and other related economic sectors.
Launch a strong appeal to the Parties and all world leaders to reach an ambitious global agreement on climate change during the Paris Climate Conference 2015;
COMMITMENTS FOR ACTION SUB-NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS
We, the representatives of the Federated States, Regions and Cities, being close to our citizens and our partners, companies and investors, as well as think tanks involved in the operational implementation of sustainable development, commit to take the following measures:
1st Commitment:
Commit to adopt, support and engage in concrete “bottom-up” lead by local authorities in partnership with businesses and investors, to complement the efforts of Parties in the framework of the intergovernmental negotiation process of the UNFCCC, to reach a global Climate Agreement in Paris in 2015.
2nd Commitment:
Commit to take concrete measures to fight against global warming within such action programs, each according to our respective local conditions, and taking as an example the targets proposed by the European Commission for a climate and energy package for 2030 (reduce GHG emissions by 40%, improve energy efficiency by 30%, and increase the share of renewable energy to 27% in the energy mix, as compared to 1990 levels), as well as the UNSE4ALL objectives for 2030 (ensure universal access to modern energy services, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency, and double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix).
3rd Commitment:
Commit to extend our action programs to the international community and, where appropriate, to all stakeholders qualified to contribute to enhance the capacity building for local and sub-national governments in all countries, for effective implementation of low carbon infrastructure projects, in particular through Public Private Partnerships (PPP) at the local level, and through training for local decision makers and technical staff on the ground;
4th Commitment:
Encourage and support stepping up the efforts made to build financing mechanisms specifically designed to ensure the value chain in delivering bankable low carbon projects for sub-national governments. Such financial schemes will aim at unleashing access to:
- Public funding, including pre-investment facilities to cover the costs of feasibility studies (sources of funding will include UN and bilateral agencies, development banks) and public debt funding (national banks, pension funds); and
- Private financing, including private equity investors, private investors, sovereign funds and pension funds.
5th Commitment:
Commit to interregional cooperation programs to facilitate the implementation of actions to effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), increase renewable energy generation, and adopt energy efficiency and energy security measures in all regions of the world, and also through sharing ideas and best practices and direct participation in the valuation of carbon credit exchange;
6th Commitment:
Commit to publicly report and disclose GHG reduction efforts and possibly other local climate actions implemented at the local level in all regions of the world through recognized subnational reporting platforms. In addition, we commit to climate change metrics and benchmarking performance across regions.
7th Commitment:
Mobilize all stakeholders (national, local, private) around projects that build the capacities of young people, as well as on specific training courses leading to green jobs; contribute, through this, to the transition to the green economy as a new growth model, with transformed production patterns, requiring additional human resources, specific to different areas of sustainable development.
BUSINESS AND FINANCE SECTOR
We, the representatives of Business and Finance, working closely with Federated States, Regions and Cities as well as think tanks, involved in the operational implementation of sustainable development, commit to take the following measures:
1st Commitment:
Promote, support and engage in a “bottom-up” approach through joint action by local and regional authorities, businesses and investors, in order to complement the efforts of Parties in the framework of the intergovernmental negotiation process of the UNFCCC, to reach a global Climate Agreement in Paris in 2015;
2nd Commitment:
Commit to take concrete measures to fight against global warming, each according to our respective local conditions, working with resource efficiency measures, measures to introduce cleaner energy sources, and measures to introduce low-carbon thinking, product and process innovation.
3rd Commitment:
Invest in the development of international capacity building and widely applicable – and useable – solutions for national, sub-national and local governments, for businesses, and for the community at large, to facilitate their implementation of actions and projects to fight against global warming;
4th Commitment:
Support and develop new and innovative financing schemes with the whole finance sector to help: unlock the necessary $1000bn/year to invest in projects to fight climate change, including working with, private investors, sovereign funds and pension funds, private equity and other asset managers; and including the strong collaboration with necessary public funds:
5th Commitment:
Develop our capacity to engage in Public Private Partnership projects to implement solutions for fighting climate change and to support sub-national and local governments, as well as partners within the private and third sector also, to develop their capacity and understanding to create, develop and enhance the implementation of such projects;
6th Commitment:
Commit to publicly report and disclose GHG reduction efforts implemented in the business and finance sector in all regions of the world.
THE ROAD TO PARIS 2015
We, the representatives of the Federated States, Regions and Cities, Companies and Investors, as well as think tanks participating in the World Summit of Regions for Climate (and further events such as the World Climate Summit and the World Green Economy Summit):
Urge that this Declaration is taken into account in the deliberations and results of the Conference of the Parties COP 20, Lima, November 2014 and in the Conference of the Parties COP 21, Paris, December 2015
Assure the impact and influence of our commitments through our active presence at the COP 20 and COP 21 meetings, in correspondence with the UNFCCC, through direct exchange with the French government during its preparation of the COP 21 meeting, at the World Green Economy Summit 2015, at other events, and finally through the support of sub-national governments business, and civil society in their exchange with their national governments to assure the integration of our commitments in their respective countries’ COP agendas.
Signed in Paris on October 11th, 2014 by:
- Assembly of European Regions (AER) – Hande Özsan Bozatli, President
- Association of Regional Governments of East Asia – KIM Jae-hyo, Secretary General
- Foundation PENSAR, Secretariat of the Global Cities Covenant on Climate (Mexico City Pact) – Martha Delgado, Director General
- ORU FOGAR – Paul Carrasco Carpio, President
- ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability – Gino van Begin, Secretary General
- World Cities Fund (FMDV) – Michèle Sabban, President
- The Climate Group – Mark Kenber, CEO
Addendum 1 to the Paris Declaration:
R20 commitments with its members and partners
Financial Commitments
In Africa
The R20, by developing with Akuo Energy in collaboration with sub-national and national authorities and their key stakeholders the first 50 MW solar PV project in Sub-Saharan Africa (at Kita in Mali) has demonstrated a replicable model that will catalyse investment in large-scale renewable energy projects in Africa. The model brings together the entire value-chain from identification of high potential projects, through partnering with technology providers, conducting feasibility studies and preparing fully bankable projects, to securing private equity and senior debt.
To this end, UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services) has decided to establish a pre- investment facility in partnership with R20 to provide funding for preparation of more fully bankable projects in the most efficient and cost-effective manner. So far, R20 has secured with African national and sub national governments, UNOPS and GreenWish Partners, an international asset manager specialised in renewable energy infrastructure, a 1GW portfolio of some 30 potential renewable energy projects.
Specific training for green skills and new jobs
The R20 and its partners call on the Paris Declaration signatories to create the Training Academy for Green Skills (TAGS), which is a new international internship program to learn new skills, allowing the youth to exchange between regions and ensuring a quality label (standards of living and working, learning objectives, reasonable timing, etc.). TAGS is a training program combining youth mobility and new skills, and also research for sustainable development across all regions of the world.
In addition, the R20 and its partners call on the Paris Declaration signatories to support the “R20 Training in Action” program for sub-national authorities specifically focused on creating bankable renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure projects.
R20, Reporting Commitments
The R20 and its partners call on the Paris Declaration signatories to support existing reporting platforms (such as CDP and the Carbonn Climate Registry) in order to ensure the recognition of GHG reduction efforts and other local climate actions implemented at cities and regions’ level.