The World’s Largest Global Cities Climate Leadership Alliance Welcomes Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka, Mayor Carolina Basualdo, and Mayor Georges Youssef to the GCoM Board of Mayors

Brussels, Belgium (April 18, 2023) – Today, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) – the largest global alliance for cities’ climate leadership – welcomed three new mayors to its Board of Mayors: Mayor Carolina Basualdo of Despeñaderos, Argentina; Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka of Yokohama, Japan; and Mayor Georges Youssef of Menjez, Lebanon.

As members of the GCoM Board, Mayors Basualdo, Yamanaka, and Youssef will act as ambassadors for urban climate action at local, national, and global levels. As local climate leaders, they will represent their regions on the world stage, empowering cities to collaborate with national governments to help meet and exceed the ambitions set out in the Paris Agreement and drive climate goals in East Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and North Africa.

“All over the world, mayors and local leaders are behind many of the solutions to our climate crisis, and the more they lead the way, the more progress we can make,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions, Co-Chair of the Global Covenant of Mayors, and founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies. “It’s a pleasure to welcome three dynamic mayors to the GCoM Board of Mayors – Mayor Yamanaka, Mayor Basualdo, and Mayor Youssef – our team looks forward to working with them to find new ways to expand our ambitions and help more cities take action.”

“The impacts of the climate crisis are increasingly evident. Around the world, mayors have been at the forefront of the response with local measures that make a big difference in the daily lives of everyone in their cities. From adopting measures to boost cycling, clean road transport, or waste reduction, to housing renovations or green transformation of public spaces, mayors help make the climate transition a reality,” said Frans Timmermans, Co-Chair of the Global Covenant of Mayors and Executive Vice-President of the European Green Deal. “I congratulate Mayor Yamanaka, Mayor Basualdo, and Mayor Youssef on their appointments and look forward to working with them.”

e to accelerate climate action at the local, regional, and global levels, placing gender equity at the center of climate policies.

As Japan’s second-largest city, with a population of over 3.7 million, Yokohama has been at the forefront of local climate action in Japan for years. In 2019, Yokohama was one of the first cities in Japan to commit to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Since his election in 2021, Mayor Yamanaka has continued to strengthen the city’s climate leadership. Recently, the city earned a prominent spot on the CDP 2021 Cities A-List for its efforts to adapt and mitigate the growing impacts of climate change, including building flood-resilient infrastructure. Under Yamanaka’s administration, Yokohama has also continued to work alongside more than 2,500 local and regional governments to promote sustainable urban development as a member city of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability.

Since his election in 2012, Mayor Youssef of Menjez has been a champion of urban sustainability and climate solutions in the Middle East. As mayor, he led the development of the Sustainable Energy Access and Climate Action Plan for Menjez, which includes solutions for clean energy, water management, reforestation, and energy efficiency. Mayor Youssef has also demonstrated strong and effective leadership in climate financing, securing multi-donor funding for numerous projects to help develop resilience and make the municipality greener.

“We can accelerate climate action if we work together, committed, with clear goals and policies for a more resilient and sustainable world,” said Mayor Carolina Basualdo of Despeñaderos, Argentina. “Whether we are a smaller or larger city, we face the challenge of integrating climate action into all our policies and levels of government. The role of women in climate action is crucial to advancing and building more equal and sustainable communities.”

“It is a great honor to have been appointed to the Board of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, representing ICLEI and the East Asia region. I am pleased to have this opportunity to work with global city leaders who share a determination to tackle climate change,” commented Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka of Yokohama, Japan. “With the ongoing trend of urbanization, it is crucial for local governments to take the lead in decarbonization through multilevel action. Yokohama will work to engage our global partner cities through strong partnerships to contribute to decarbonization and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

“Estamos en un momento crucial para la acción climática a nivel de ciudad”, dijo el alcalde Georges Youssef de Menjez, Líbano. “Me siento honrado de tener la oportunidad de apoyar a los Alcaldes de toda la región en el avance de sus prioridades climáticas y de sostenibilidad. Espero elevar la acción climática local aquí en el Medio Oriente y servir como modelo para las ciudades de todo el mundo en este momento crítico de la historia”. 

“We are at a pivotal moment for city-level climate action,” said Mayor Georges Youssef of Menjez, Lebanon. “I am honored to have the opportunity to support Mayors across the region in advancing their climate and sustainability priorities. I look forward to elevating local climate action here in the Middle East and serving as a model for cities worldwide at this critical moment in history.”

Members of the Global Covenant of Mayors Board represent over 12,500 cities and local governments worldwide committed to ambitious actions to combat the climate crisis and build resilient communities.

 

The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM)

GCoM is the largest global alliance for cities’ climate leadership, uniting a worldwide coalition of over 12,500 cities, local governments, and more than 100 partners. GCoM cities and partners share a long-term vision of supporting voluntary actions to combat climate change and achieve a resilient, low-emission society. GCoM serves cities and local governments by mobilizing and supporting ambitious, measurable, and planned climate and energy actions in their communities, working with urban/regional networks, national governments, and other partners to achieve our vision. Led today by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions, Michael R. Bloomberg, and the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, the coalition encompasses cities on six continents and 144 countries, representing more than one billion people or over 13% of the world’s population.

For more information about GCoM, visit our website, or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.