CODATU at COP21 – A go ahead for MobiliseYourCity

An
agreement with a universal vocation

The COP21, 21st conference on climate change organized by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was held from November 30th to December 12th 2015 at the Paris-Le Bourget site, and gathered more than 40 000 people.

Following negotiations, an agreement was signed by the 195 countries to limit warming to 2°C by the end of the century. However, states should strengthen their commitments in terms of mitigation: national contributions (INDCs) sent in advance of the conference is much less ambitious: if nothing more is done, the global warming will reach + 3°C in 2100.

As the agreement is expected to come into effect only in 2020, the quartet composed of France, Peru, the United Nations Secretariat and UNFCCC decided to start bringing forward a number of initiatives which will have transformative actions in various sectors to reduce GHG emissions.

Give voice to transport: #WeAreTransport

The transport sector, responsible for almost 1/4 of GHG emissions of the energy sector, raised its voice through the partnership between Challenge Michelin Bibendum and the Partnership for Sustainable Low Carbon Transport (SLoCaT) , umbrella organization which gathers and coordinate a wide coalition of stakeholders and ensure the necessary advocacy to the international bodies, for a low carbon transport. A number of transport initiatives were introduced during a Transport Focus, a high-level event organized on December 3rd in the Blue Zone of COP.

The official launch of MobiliseYourCity initiative !

Robert Beugre Mambe during the Transport Focus

Among these initiatives, MobiliseYourCity initiative promoted by CODATU and its partners since early 2015, had an important positiion as it got officially launched by Ms. Ségolène Royal (Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy) during the Press Conference organized prior to the Transport Focus. The Minister also officialized the involvment of FFEM (French Global Environment Facility), with an investment of 2M€, increasing the total amount of contributions to 10M€.

This initiative, which aims at improving urban mobility in developing countries thanks to a sustainable urban transport planning, was highlighted by Mr Robert Beugre Mambe, Governor of Abidjan district, and Mr Louis Negre, President of GART (Group of Local Transport Authorities) and active participant to the Transport Focus.

Damien Gampine during the Transport Focus

All along those two weeks, CODATU ensured the good visibility of MobiliseYourCity, in COP21 and outside. The initiative was also highlighted in a session co-organized by CODATU and GIZ during the Transport Day on December 6th in the UIC (International Union of Railways) premises. An intervention of Mr. Damien Gampine, President of Ouagadougou Special Municipal Delegation, and Mr. Beugre Mambe, Governor of Abidjan, in a Plenary session, reaffirming their will to join MobiliseYourCity.

In total, there has been extensive discussions around MobiliseYourCity, with 8 events associating CODATU and its partners.

What next?

Finally, at the marges of COP21, MobiliseYourCity partners had several meeting to review the year 2015 and discuss 2016 Road Map, which announces many important events, such as the Habitat III conference to be held in Quito in October, COP22 in Marrakech in November 2016. CODATU and its partners will propose to the first quarter of a work program to cities and countries that have expressed their willingness to join the initiative.