Presentation provided by Martin Brennan, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability – Oceania in the Global Mayors Forum Press Conference.

We are today living on an urbanised and globalised planet. 
 
We are also living in challenging and changing times and a commitment to sustainable growth needs to be at the core of our response to the needs of our urban populations and the challenge of our time, climate change. In fact the response to climate change rests on our capacity to create sustainable cities and thus an enduring planet. 
 
Cities will be the key to our future as we grapple with the cause and effect of climate change and secure our energy, water and food needs for future generations. 
 
The 2010 Global Mayors Forum to take place in Hong Kong and Shenzhen from November 5 to 8 has as its theme ‘High Growth Cities: Meeting the Challenges for Sustainability’. The Forum will  bring  together  city  leaders  from  around  the  world  to  share  their  experiences,  their knowledge and their political will to make a difference. 
 
On behalf of the President of ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, Cr David Cadman, City of Vancouver and Secretary General Konrad Otto Zimmerman I commend the International Mayors Communication Centre for this initiative and welcome the opportunity to be a partner organization in the Global Mayors Forum.
 
ICLEI is an international association of city governments that have made a commitment to sustainable development. Founded in 1990 at the inaugural conference at the United Nations in
New York, ICLEI has regional offices based in South America, North America, Europe, Africa and the Asia Pacific covering city governments in over 66 countries. ICLE is committed to moving the world toward a sustainable future through a growing network of over 1100 member city governments around the world. 
 
Today ICLEI collaborates with a wide range of international, regional and local partners on its programs and campaigns including Metropolis, UCLG, Clinton Climate Initiative, World Mayors Council on Climate Change, World Economic Forum and many others.
 
ICLEI also plays an advocacy role on behalf of city governments for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The forthcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen must surely rank as one of the defining meetings of the 21st century. Its outcome may well seal the fate or future of the planet over the coming decades.
 
ICLEI will host many city mayors from around the world in Copenhagen in December in support of the Local Government Road Map in support of a strong global climate agreement and the recognition of the important role of city governments in responding to climate change.

And ICLEI is working with UNEP and UN-Habitat to promote the important role of cities in advancing global sustainability. UNEP is the voice of the environment within the United Nations and has funded a number of ICLEI projects including the Local Government Climate Road Map to Copenhagen, the Cities Climate Centre in Bonn, Germany, Local Action for Biodiversity and the Global Alliance for Eco-mobility.
 
In the words of Anna Tibaijuka, UN-Habitat Executive Director, ‘Now that more than half the world’s population lives in cities, the planning, management and governance of often scarce environmental resources is crucial. ICLEI is a strong partner for UN-Habitat in the endeavour to bridge the gap between thinking and practice regarding sustainable urban development’. 
 
I wish to make 4 points in relation to ICLEI’s perspective on sustainability and our response to climate change.
 
First, city governments are providing leadership in sustainable development and are making a significant response to climate change.
 
Second, the underlying principle for this impact is the power of aggregating the actions of cities around the world
 
Third, the importance of supporting innovation and a sense of hope in our communities is essential to the political commitment and leadership of our national governments
 
Fourth, we need to think and act both global and local.
 
The Global Mayors Forum is another step on our journey to a sustainable future. 
 
On behalf of ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability I invite city leaders from around the world to attend the 2010 Global Mayors Forum.
 
Thank you.