Honourable Park Won Soon, Mayor of Seoul, Mr. David Cadman, ICLEI President, Mr. Gino Van Begin, ICLEI Secretary General, Honourable Mayors,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

On your 25th anniversary, I am pleased to welcome you all to the ninth ICLEI World Congress.

I commend Mayor Park Won Soon for his key role in ICLEI, as well as for leading Seoul, with its ambitious agenda on climate change and sustainable growth.

In our urbanized world, the leadership of local authorities is more relevant than ever.

Member States are currently negotiating a set of sustainable development goals to be adopted in September.

Clean, efficient, equitable cities can drive global transformation across all three dimensions of sustainable development – social, economic and environmental.

I count on you for three actions.

First: strengthen your networks.

Second: support a meaningful universal climate agreement in Paris, in December.

And third: help define a New Urban Agenda for the Habitat III Conference next year in Quito.

This Congress can contribute significantly to international efforts on sustainable solutions for an urban future.

I thank all the mayors here for your commitment to our shared mission for a life of dignity for all.

I wish you a most productive Congress.