Countdown to Copenhagen - AER president gives regions a voice during Climate Week at the UN in New York

Less than a hundred days before the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, a delegation of 10 representatives selected by the Climate Group will take part in the “Climate Week“ opening ceremony taking place in New York alongside the United Nations General Assembly. As a member of the delegation, Michèle Sabban, president of the Assembly of European Regions (AER) will meet with Ban-Ki Moon, UN Secretary General, on Monday 21st September.

President Sabban, along with other members of the delegation including Jean Charest, Quebec premier, will hand over a statement to Ban-Ki Moon and Climate Group patron, former UK prime minister Tony Blair, on behalf of regional associations around the globe. The statement aims to secure the recognition of the regions’ role in the Long Term Cooperation Agreement.

“As the last negotiations concerning the Copenhagen Summit are taking place, the European regions are as vigilant as ever on the role they will be given in the final document,” Ms Sabban said. “It is important to recall that the regions implement most of the public policies linked to the struggle against climate change, so it makes sense for them to be included in the treaty negotiating and drafting process. I add that our 270 member regions very often go further than simply implementing policies: they take initiatives and carry out innovative projects. That is the message I will have the honour of delivering to the United Nations on Monday.”

Ms Sabban will also take part in a round-table conference on electric vehicles and present the activities in this field of her home region Ile-de-France.

The statement handed over to the UN Secretary General will be available on Tuesday on the AER website.

Background
Climate Week is an occasion to increase public and world leaders’ awareness on the importance of taking decisive action in the fight against climate change. It will also show that through a combination of “green” solutions and regional and national actions, it is possible to reach a global agreement that measures up to the challenges posed by climate change.

Press contact:
Francine Huhardeaux, Press and Communications Officer, f.huhardeaux@aer.eu - Tel./Fax: +33 388 22 74 49

The Assembly of European Regions (AER) is the largest independent network of regions in wider Europe. Bringing together more than 270 regions from 33 countries and 16 interregional organisations, AER is the political voice of its members and a forum for interregional co-operation.