2 Days to the World Congress: Uniting on Public Procurement
The World Congress kicks off in just two days! Today we’re reporting more good news: European cities have committed to address issues of sustainable public procurement.
Mayors from 26 European cities adopted a joint declaration for climate action in Paris (France) last week. The commitment came during a high-level meeting, chaired by the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo and Mayor Ignazio Marino of Rome. Leaders from other major cities including Athens (Greece), Brussels (Belgium), Bucharest (Romania), Geneva (Switzerland), Lisbon (Portugal), Madrid (Spain), Sofia (Bulgaria), Stockholm (Sweden), Warsaw (Poland), Vienna (Austria), Lyon (France) and Bordeaux (France) were all present.
In her opening comments, Mayor Hidalgo highlighted ICLEI’s expertise in the area of sustainable public procurement. ICLEI Europe’s Managing Director Wolfgang Teubner and Mark Hidson, the Global Director of ICLEI’s Sustainable Procurement Capacity Centre, both attended the Paris meeting to offer their support.
The Paris Initiative forms part of the run-up to the next round of UNFCCC negotiations, which are due to be held in the French capital in December 2015. The gathering aimed to encourage cities to join forces and share expertise that will lead to a lasting energy and environmental transition. By making a public commitment to use their joint purchasing power in favor of green and low-carbon solutions, the cities are unifying around a strong vision for a sustainable future.
The Declaration commits signatories to “a significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 percent by 2030”. Three areas were chosen for initial interventions, based on an assessment of the cities’ purchasing volume and the carbon impact of the product group. These cover collective purchases of renewable electricity, waste collection and urban cleaning vehicles powered by natural gas (12 – 16 tonne models), and hybrid and electric light vehicles and small commercial vehicles for local authorities.
We’ll be building on this progress at the World Congress with a session on driving sustainable public procurement on the global stage. We hope to see many of you there!
