Local Government Climate Change Leadership Summit

Copenhagen, Denmark, 2-4 June 2009

Speech by Gaye Doganoglu, Chair of the Committee on Sustainable Development of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe

Mr Chairman,

Ministers,

Excellencies,

Dear Colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am honoured to address the Local Government Summit on Climate Change, on behalf of the President of the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.

The Council of Europe is a pan European organisation and its Congress brings together representatives of more than 200,000 territorial authorities from 47 European countries.

It is a privilege for me to represent the position of local and regional authorities of the European continent at this Summit. It is also a privilege, for all of us, to listen to the voice of local communities when engaging in dialogue on climate change with national governments.

As elected representatives, we have a major responsibility to prepare our cities and regions for the future. Indeed, local authorities, your local authorities, are central actors for improving the quality and the sustainability of our life-styles.

Today, many of the challenges we face are global and 2009, as the year of climate change, is a year of particular importance.  But we are having to deal with this challenge under the black cloud of the most serious financial and economic crisis since the decentralisation has gained momentum in Europe. Both of these issues are vying with each other for priority action from local governments.

In the face of these difficult economic conditions and global uncertainties, people are looking to public authorities for solutions, in a way that has not happened in decades. Against this background, the role of municipalities and regions is becoming more critical.

Global warming is a dramatic reality and the seriousness of its effects is obvious to everyone, to citizens and to politicians alike. In our urbanised world, changing the way we run our daily lives and our consumption patterns, changing the way we plan and manage our affairs are the key issues for tackling this global challenge.

The task is so enormous that it calls for both immediate and resolute action at all political levels, and for renewed multi-level governance. This also means introducing innovative approaches, and here local and regional authorities have been showing remarkable creativity and dynamism. We have heard these three days many convincing examples of measures taken by local and regional authorities to face up to the impact of climate change - no matter their size or their situation, their political beliefs or their institutional and economic capacities.The Council of Europe Congress strongly believes that they often lead the way and that they should be recognised as important stakeholders and fully-fledged partners in this complex global issue.

We have also heard Mayors and local representatives from all over the world speak the unique voice of the local and regional authorities, the voice of your communities, of our communities in the face of the most serious and urgent challenge of the 21^st Century.

This summit is an important step in the preparations for the UN Climate conference -COP 15- to be held in December in this same building. The Council of Europe Congress is actively mobilised along with local and regional authorities and their associations to influence the current international negotiations on climate change.

Indeed, we strongly believe that climate protection does not depend solely on an agreement between nation states. The real difference will be made in the way our citizens adapt their everyday lives and perceive the future for their children. This is the day-to-day challenge that we, as local elected representatives, need to respond to.

The Congress has been involved, therefore, in lobbyingnational governments to persuade them to give public action at local and regional level a higher profile in the forthcoming global agreement on climate change. This means systematically including and supporting cities and regions in the implementation of their national strategies to reach the targets of an ambitious agreement. Thisis a great opportunity for national governments to take advantage of the commitment, capacity and experience of local and regional authorities.

We are also convinced that cities and regions can assume an even stronger role, at the frontline, with regard to undertaking effective steps to combat climate change and adapt. But to this end, we must ensure that international organisations and national governments provide the necessary political support and adapted financial means to enable them to put in place adequate measures, including raising public awareness.

Certainly, we believe that to move ahead we need strong and powerful cities and regions, ready for the future. This implies involving society at the grassroots level to mobilise citizens and to base our future development on a fruitful dialogue with all stakeholders.

This means implementing the principles of ethical governance, sustainable development and greater solidarity in our public policies, principles which are set out in the European Urban Charter II: Manifesto for a new urbanity, adopted by the Congress in May 2008.

Moreover, climate change impacts on the basic elements of human life and thus directly affects a range of fundamental rights: the right to life, suitable living conditions, safety, food, housing, health and water, to name just a few. Although the debate initially focused on the physical and natural consequences of climate change, it is now time to take stock of its implications for human societies.

 

The Council of Europe Congress is convinced of the interdependence of human rights and sustainable development, which means that sustainable development has become a democratic issue in itself. Accordingly, the negotiations on a new climate agreement should include the human rights dimension in order to enable more lasting responses to be made to this universal challenge and to protect the right to a healthy environment for present and future generations.

It is in this spirit that we should see climate change as an opportunity to build a more sustainable future and one which is fairer and more balanced in terms of wealth and consumption models. Our efforts should definitely impact globally and locally. Therefore, we need to build strong partnerships with developing countries and step up co-operation with our counterparts in these countries in order to help them to minimise the negative impacts of climate change on the weakest.

Ladies and Gentleman,

This Summit is an essential step towards constructing a common vision and action plan for the years and decades to come. I thank the Association of Local Government of Denmark for having extended this warmest of welcomes to us, but most importantly, the opportunity for local and regional authorities of the world to meet, share experiences and best practices, and exchange new ideas.

It is only through our political will, our resolute action in our towns, cities and regions and through a determined commitment and engagement that we will succeed. We need to continue to seek and exploit all opportunities to have our voice heard.

We share a common position and today, we have joined forces to be considered as a level of governance to be reckoned with. Through our united voice, we must send a very clear and strong signal to the Parties to the UN Climate Change Convention. Local and regional authorities must be part of climate change diplomacy. If the pivotal role of local and regional governments in combating climate change is not formally recognised, the international agreement to be reached at the Copenhagen COP15 in December will not be up to the expectations and challenges of this urgent issue.

Thank you for you attention.