Fran�ois Hollande, the President of France, welcomed Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Elys�e Presidential Palace in Paris, on Friday 10th, for a meeting with high-level government officials to discuss climate issues. They were joined by Laurent Fabius, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development; Nicolas Hulot, the President's Special Envoy for the "Protection of the Planet"; Mich�le Sabban, the President of R20; Terry Tamminen, R20 Strategic Advisor to Schwarzenegger;  and Christophe Nuttall, R20's Executive Director. 

 President Hollande lauded Governor Schwarzenegger's commitment to environmental and climate issues, and stressed the importance of mobilizing civil society actors, subnational authorities, as well as the private sector to make COP21 a success. He reiterated that France wants to promote a "solutions agenda", one that demonstrates that economic development is in fact compatible with social development and climate action.

The President also called on all influential individuals who wish to invest in the success of COP21, such as Governor Schwarzenegger, to form a group of spokespersons that can raise awareness and mobilize the general public, as well as decision makers, about this global climate challenge.

Over the two days, the need for an ambitious climate deal in 2015, with ambitious targets, was a recurrent point made by the panelists. In addition, it was by and large agreed that whilst the bottom-up approach is necessary, it should not be exclusive of top-down policy making which is necessary to provide regulatory frameworks. Regions, as sub-national and locals governments, were widely hailed as catalysts for green development. "Regions have a pivotal role because it's at that level that action emerges. France will do whatever it can to make sure COP21 is a success, and if it is, it will be thanks to regions," said Laurent Fabius, French Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Development, during his opening speech on the second day. 

Ms. Mary Robinson, Mr. Nicolas Hulot                                                            Ms. Connie Hedegaard

Mary Robinson, newly-appointed UN Special Envoy on Climate Change, stressed the link between climate and human rights: "The vulnerability of poor regions to climate change is an injustice. Climate is a human rights issue. We are making people's lives worse through our inaction". She went on to call for an ambitious agreement in 2015 and the abolishment of fossil fuel subsidies. 

 

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#RegionsClimate   #Road2Paris2015

• Jean-Paul Delevoye (President of the French Economic Social & Environmental Council): 
• "The future of our planet requires a long term commitment" 
• Anne Hidalgo (Mayor of Paris): 
• "The challenge is global but the solutions are local, through regions, businesses" 
• Daniel C. Esty (Yale University Director, Centre for Business & Environment):
• "We must engage a broader set of actors"
• Gerard Mestrallet (CEO of GDF Suez): 
• "We are developing a product that allows regions to craft an energy strategy"
• Grete Faremo (UN Under Secretary-General, Executive Director, UNOPS): 
• "We want to be the honest broker - energy is at the heart of development. We want to be part of R20's projects and initiatives" 
• Michel Rocard (President of Collegium International): 
• "This emergence of regions working together is a formidable idea - a miracle!"
• Serge Lepeltier (former French Ambassador): 
• "We need a global agreement that is binding for states, so as to have a real impact" 
• Eric Rondolat (CEO of Philips Lighting): 
• "Things are moving, but the urgency of the situation is not taken into account in the same way everywhere"
• Terry Tamminen (R20 Strategic Advisor to Founding chair): 
• "We have to pay for externalities!" 
• Jens Nielsen (CEO of World Climate Ltd):
• "In the past, regions & businesses were not sufficiently recognized in climate talks. We are changing that"
• Nicolas Hulot (Special Envoy to President of France): 
• "The business-as-usual model is not an option" 
• Connie Hedegaard (European Commissioner for Climate Action): 
• "We need action and ambitious numbers in 2015" 
• Henri Proglio (CEO of EDF): 
• "Stabilizing financing costs is crucial to access to green energy"
• Steve Bolze (CEO of GE Power & Water): 
• "The world is ready for energy efficiency. It's already happening"
• Eric Scotto (CEO of Akuo Energy): 
• "The top-down approach is necessary so as to have regulatory frameworks to put in place renewable energy"
• Eric Brac de la Perriere (Director General of Eco-Emballages): 
• "We need alternative solutions to plastic. The rate of recycling of plastic is only 23%"
• Bertrand Van Ee (CEO of Climate-KIC): 
• "Different cities face different challenges - local insights count"
• Andr� Rupprechter (Austrian Minister of Environment): 
• "The green economy creates jobs"

The Summit closed with a signing ceremony involving six networks of cities and regions who commit to the Paris Declaration. Collectively these networks represent over 3,000 local governments.

• Oru-Fogar, signed by Paul Carrasco, President.
• Assembly of European Regions, signed by Hande Ozsan Bozatli, President.
• ICLEI, signed by Gino Van Begin, Secretary General.
• The Mexico City Pact, signed by Martha Delgado, Director General.
• The Association of North East Asia Regional Governments (NEAR), signed by Kim Jae-Hyo, Secretary General.
• Fonds Mondial pour le D�veloppement des Villes (FMDV), signed by Mich�le Sabban, President.

Together and in the presence of Laurent Fabius, French Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Development, the participants demonstrated their determination to act, by signing the Declaration - a real road map for the United Nations conference on climate change (COP21) that will take place in Paris in 2015.

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 COP21. At the World Summit of Regions for Climate (WSRC), 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 (December 2014), Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (February 2015), World Green Economy Summit (April 2015) in Dubai, African Green Economy Summit in Malabo (May/June 2015), Oru-Fogar World Regions Summit (September 2015), World Climate Summit in Paris (December 2015) and others, to collect signatures from leaders, and be presented at COP21 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.

One of the many reasons why the Summit was so successful, was that it showcased what conditions need to be met in order to launch green economy projects. As an action-driven organisation, R20 prides itself on being able to match key players and remove obstacles, so that the green economy becomes mainstream. Partnerships between key players and influencers is of the utmost importance, especially given the urgency of the climate challenge. 

 During the closing ceremony of the World Summit of Regions for Climate on October 11th, R20 signed partnership agreements and memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with several organisations, in the presence of Arnold Schwarzenegger (Founding Chair of R20), Mich�le Sabban (R20 President), Christophe Nuttall (R20 Executive Director), Terry Tamminen (Special Advisor to R20 Founding Chair) and Andr� Rupprechter (Austrian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water).

Reunion Region: R20 and the Reunion region are partnering to set up the new R20 Indian Ocean Renewables Hub. This Hub will be a centre of excellence for technology development, training and expertise, and financing for projects. All countries of the Indian Ocean region will have access to it. The partnership agreement was signed by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Founder of R20, and Didier Robert, President of the Reunion region.

ABREC: Christophe Nuttall, Executive Director of R20, and Thierno Bocar Tall, CEO of the African Biofuels and Renewable Energy Company (ABREC-SABER), have cemented the relationship between the two entities by signing a partnership agreement. Both entities will work together to conduct feasibility studies for renewable energy projects, as well as sourcing investments for such projects. In addition, ABREC will be part of the Pre-Investment Facility that has been set up by R20 and UNOPS. Lastly, ABREC is joining R20, UNOPS and GreenWish Partners in their initiative to develop 1 GW of solar plants across West and Central Africa. 

ADEME: R20 and ADEME, the French Agency for the Environment and Energy, have committed to working together on renewable energy policy, training on technologies, feasibility studies for infrastructure projects, and bridging the gaps between project financing, expertise and technical assistance. Bruno Lechevin signed the agreement as President of ADEME.

Dubai Green Economy Partnership (GEP): Waleed Salman, Chairman of the Dubai GEP, and Christophe Nuttall, signed on behalf of their respective entities, a memorandum of understanding to explore opportunities for the establishment of a Regional training centre in Dubai, and for green infrastructure projects relating to renewable energy, energy efficiency, waste management and public transport.

World Green Economy Summit (WGES): R20 has officialised its partnership with the WGES, as part of the Road to Paris 2015. The event will take place on April 22-23, 2015 in Dubai.

The collaboration between both entities entails working together to create a work group to study the feasibility of using the Green Bonds as a financial mechanism for R20 projects. This new mechanism could potentially reduce the cost of capital for climate related investments and increase investor confidence, thereby generating more investor support for low-carbon projects.

 The Climate Bonds Initiative is an international, investor-focused not-for-profit, promoting large-scale investment in the low-carbon economy. It's the only organisation in the world focusing on mobilizing the $100 trillion bond market for climate change solutions

The State of Rio de Janeiro aims to become a leader in sustainability in order to improve the quality of life and environment for its citizens. To fulfill its commitments to its citizens' well being, R20 and the State of Rio de Janeiro will work together to conduct a study to analyse the viability of utilizing LED technology to upgrade the streetlights in the municipalities of the State of Rio Janeiro. The parties will create a work group in order to deliver the study within three months of signing of the MOU.

R20, Funbio and AIIEGA  will work together to develop a project for the reforestation of watersheds and water sources, biodiversity restoration, as well as water quality and quatity conservation. The parties will join their efforts to develop and implement a fundraising plan within the next three months to secure financial resources to make project implementation possible.

 The Brazilian Biodiversity Fund (FUNBIO) is an association specialized in biodiversity. Through the elaboration of an innovative financial mechanism, FUNBIO supports the private sector to mitigate their environmental impacts. AIIEGA specializes in natural resource management and provides training in public policy.

The Institute for Retail Development (IDV) and R20 have signed an MOU to work together to create a turn key energy efficiency and distributed generation program to be implemented by IDV's members.