UN Secretary visits Rio+20 Global Town Hall

Road to sustainability is through cities, says Ban Ki-moon

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 21 June 2012  -- - UN Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon applauds a crowd of Mayors and local government
representatives for advancing sustainability in their towns and
cities at the Rio+20 Global Town Hall today.

"Local is global and global is local," Ban Ki-moon said, explaining
that in today's globalized world, there is little difference between
local and federal governments, and therefore cities play an equally
important role in achieving sustainability.

At the ongoing Rio+20 summit, countries have come up with a scope of
agreement that will chart sustainable development in the next years. 
But Ban Ki-moon fears that this would merely be another piece of
paper, unless cities continue to lead by example, and take their over
500 voluntary commitments for action seriously. "The country is the
sum of cities. If cities do not work, then countries cannot work", he
added.

Referring to the local governments' message to Rio signed by more
than 80 Mayors at the ICLEI World Congress, Mayor Marcio Araujo de
Lacerda of Belo Horizonte Brazil emphasized the call for better
mobilization, more inclusion, and proper recognition of local
governments as key actors in sustainability processes. He expressed
optimism on the latest agreed text of Rio+20, noting its relatively
strong section on sustainable cities, but believes that more can be
done to empower local governments.

Britanny Triffold, winner of Date with History and Rio+20 youth
speaker reinforced the importance of local authorities in sustainable
development by saying: " We view local governments to be more
influential and it is more feasible for them to influence and follow
through with our demands more specifically to where we are living!
Yes, I do place more faith in the local governments."

Most of the world are living in urban areas, with 7 out of 10 living
in cities in developing countries.Cities are drivers of environmental
degradation, and at the same time, on the cutting edge of sustainable
development. By pursuing innovative techniques, sustainable cities
can be a unifying force to integrating the three pillars of
sustainable development.

"The road to sustainability runs through the world's towns and
cities. By building sustainable towns and cities, you will build
global sustainability", Ban Ki-moon ended, appealing to Mayors to
further intensify their work beyond Rio+20.