Mayor of Montréal's mission to Mexico - Montréal joins C40, the network of forward-thinking cities leading a fight against climate change

MONTRÉAL, Dec. 2, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - At the end of his mission to Mexico City, which was held as part of the World Cities Summit - C40, the Mayor of Montréal, the Honourable Denis Coderre, confirmed that Montréal is joining the prestigious C40 network, an organization that brings together 90 of the world's most committed and forward-thinking cities involved in the fight against climate change.

"Montréal is pleased to join the C40 network, which is a leader in the search for concrete and joint solutions in the fight against climate change. Our city is already committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GGEs) and adapting to climate change on the local scene. Montréal plays a very active role on the international scene, especially when it comes to climate-related issues. I am certain that we can bring a unique contribution to C40 by working together with this network of forward-thinking cities that are members of C40," said the Mayor of Montréal, Denis Coderre.

The innovative initiatives that were put forward by Montréal in the fight against climate change include the adoption of the climate change adaptation plan (2015-2010), implementation of a consultative process to reduce the  dependence on fossil fuels, adoption of a third sustainable development plan (2016-2020), including the ambitious challenge of reducing the community's GGEs by 80% by the year 2050. This is a higher objective than the one set out in the plan to reduce GGEs (2013-2020) in order to meet the commitments made at COP21 to promote and exceed the objectives of the 2015 Paris Agreement, in all the areas under its authority.

C40 Mayors Summit
The C40 Mayors Summit, which was held from November 30 to December 2, brought together mayors of member cities, prominent international business leaders, high-profile NGO leaders, world-acclaimed climate experts and well-known activists, with the objective of continuing current actions and making new commitments to fight against climate change and air pollution. As part of this global event, the Mayor of Montréal took an active role in an important session titled "We're all in this together: Building a Coalition between Nations, States and Cities." This session focused on cooperation between cities and various levels of government, as well as on initiatives designed to meet the Paris Agreement objectives.

Signing of a cooperation agreement between Montréal and Mexico
The Mayor of Montréal, Denis Coderre, took the opportunity while he was in Mexico to meet with the Mayor of Mexico City, Miguel Ángel Mancera Espinosa, and sign a cooperation agreement to build close cooperative relations and pursue growth and mutual development objectives between the two metropolises, especially in the fields of metropolitan governance, economic development, transportation, urban planning, baseball and culture. Montréal and Mexico City also plan to combine their efforts to increase the visibility of Metropolis, the world association of major metropolises.

Bilateral meetings
This C40 summit also provided an opportunity for the Mayor of Montréal to speak with several of his counterparts from different cities across the world, executives of international companies, leaders of major NGOs and climate experts of international renown about future collaboration and partnerships. These included Ms. Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris and first woman Chair of the C40, Mr. Michael R. Bloomberg, Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Cities and Climate Change, President of the Board of Directors of the C40 and former Mayor of the New York City (2002-2013), the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro and outgoing Chair of the C40, Eduardo Paes, Mayor of the City of Chicago, Mr. Rahm Emanuel, the Deputy Governor for Spatial Planning and Environment of Jakarta, Mr Oskar Muadzin Mungkasa, the Mayor of Vancouver, Mr. Gregor Robertson, and representatives of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Climate change, sustainable development, living together and resiliency were the themes addressed during these meetings.

In closing, the Mayor met with Executive Director Mr Mark Watts and the C40 leadership team to define Montréal's role within the organization and develop a strategy with respect to the new urban agenda.

SOURCE Ville de Montréal - Cabinet du maire et du comité exécutif

Source: Catherine Maurice, Attachée de presse, Cabinet du maire et du comité exécutif, 514 346-7598; Information: François Goneau, Relationniste, Service des communications, 514 868-5859