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World Summit on Climate and Territories kicks off in Lyon as preparation for COP21

Xinhua, July 2, 2015 Adjust font size:

The World Summit on Climate and Territories kicked off on Wednesday in Lyon, France, gathering sub-national and local governments and other non-state actors in the lead-up to COP21.

Some 800 representatives of local authorities, civil societies and non-governmental organizations from more than 80 countries attended the meeting. French president Francois Hollande, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General on Climate Change Janos Pasztor also participated in the summit.

"The World Summit on Climate and Territories is an important step, a sign of collective will and of mobilisation of the world's territories," said Wednesday French president Francois Hollande at the summit.

Hollande commended the role of local government authorities in the fight against climate change.

"Your meeting shows that climate actions is everyone's business: states, governments, territories, charities, the private sector, all non-state actors," he added.

He announced his support for local authorities gaining direct access to climate finance, as well as plans for a special day dedicated to them at the COP21.

Francois Hollande also praised China's ambitious voluntary actions on cutting emissions.

A total of 16 regions, states and provinces, including the host French region Rhone-Alpes, signed the "Subnational Global Climate Leadership MOU", a first-of-its-kind agreement to limit global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius.

The two-day World Summit on Climate and Territories will be closed on July 2 with speeches by French Ecology Minister Segolene Royale and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. Endit