Sustainable territorial and local development

French local authorities believe that the United Nations conference on sustainable development, Rio+20 will boost the dynamic of sustainable development at the local level and hope to get adequate recognition for their contribution.

This was the main conclusion of the event "Rio+20, local authorities and regional at the heart of the ambition" organised by twelve associations of French local and regional authorities, including the French Association of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (AFCCRE), on 23 May 2012 in Paris. The objective was to review the progress and prospects of territorial sustainable development strategies since the Rio summit of 1992 and to voice the post-2012 expectations and commitments of French municipalities and regions.

At this occasion, Nicole Bricq, the new French minister for ecology, sustainable development and energy, announced that the new French government would take into consideration the demands of local and regional government in terms of sustainable development. She also ensured that these would be represented within the French delegation traveling to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 2012.

Frederic Vallier, CEMR secretary general, welcomed the commitment of French local and regional authorities to the political preparation of Rio+20 and asked that they not only carry the message of French municipalities and regions but also of European ones as a whole.

Declaration of French local and regional authorities for Rio+20 (as submitted to the French minister by Ronan Dantec, president of the AFCCRE Committee for sustainable development and environment and spokesperson on climate for United Cities and Local Governments)