Montreal mayor to join UN group on sustainable development

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has announced she will be part of a new United Nations (UN) group that aims to strengthen the participation of different communities when it comes to sustainable development programs.

Plante will be a member of the Advisory Group on Local and Regional Governments alongside 19 other elected representatives.

They include the mayor of New York, Eric Adams, the mayor of Rabat in Morocco, Asmaa Rhlalou, and the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, among others.

The group, made up of 15 local elected representatives from five continents and five national elected representatives, has "the mandate to strengthen the participation of local and regional authorities in the intergovernmental and national planning processes that will lead to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN's New Urban Agenda," according to a press release issued Monday by the City of Montreal.

"My participation in the UN's Advisory Group on Local and Regional Governments will enable Montreal to draw on best practices and support the ambitious decisions that need to be taken around the world to minimize the impact of climate change on people," said Plante.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres created the group at an initial meeting with its 20 members on Oct. 6.

"As we consider how to make multilateral institutions more effective and meet the current and future challenges facing our societies and the planet, we need the perspectives and commitment of local and regional authorities," said Guterres.

The group will work for a year before meeting with Guterres on three occasions.

According to a press release published on the UN website, "the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) will provide administrative support to the group."

The announcement comes shortly after the Adaptation Futures 2023 conference on adaptation to climate change, which was held in Montreal from Oct. 2 to 6.

At the end of September, Plante was also present at Climate Week in New York, where she participated in a round table discussion on ecological transition at the United Nations headquarters.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 16, 2023.