During the Pact for the Future of Humanity plenary session focused on the “planet” pillar of the Pact, Taneen Rudyk, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and UCLG Co-president, delivered a pledge on behalf of the UCLG Presidency for the approval of the World Council:
“Today we embody the consultative process that has built our vision for the future. We have gone hand in hand with our allies through the Town Hall process, the international advisory committee, the policy councils, and UCLG consultation mechanisms.
We have listened carefully to your message, loud and clear.
To rethink our modes of consumption, production, displacement and living, which today are the source of injustice and inequality, towards universal models that are regenerative, sustainable and resilient.
To lead a new vision of our common future in which we move from overexploitation of natural resources to the protection of biodiversity. In which we address the challenge of climate emergency and the transition to net zero carbon systems, risk reduction and urban resilience.
To transform the interaction between society, economy and nature, decouple economic development from the exhaustion of our planet, and lead ways of life that transform the relationship with our ecosystems.
That is why, we, the cities and regions of the world:
We commit to address the climate emergency, environmental degradation and biodiversity depletion through a fair and equitable sharing of the benefits of climate action.
We commit to develop a vision that considers these actions by embracing the rights of nature as our own. Mobilizing all actors to make available the resources we need to reverse the climate and ecological crises.
We look to the future with responsibility. We are confident that our collective of local and regional governments is ready to join their national and international allies to put the care of the planet at the heart of our joint action.
The voice of cities and territories must contribute to rethinking the future together through key international milestones such as the SDG summit, the Future Summit, or the United Nations World Water Conference.
This is the commitment of cities and local governments united around the world to take care of our planet.”