On 12 November 2017, attendees at the Climate Summit of Local and Regional Leaders, which took place during COP23, adopted the Bonn-Fiji Commitment, signaling their commitment to deliver the Paris Agreement at all levels.

The event was co-hosted by Ashok Sridharan, Mayor of Bonn (Germany) and First Vice President of ICLEI, and Armin Laschet, Minister-President of State of North-Rhine Westphalia (Germany), and was guided by Cathy Oke, Councillor of Melbourne (Australia) and member of the ICLEI Global Executive Committee.

Mayor Sridharan welcomed the 330 political leaders and more than 1,000 delegates in attendance, saying: "We are here to be part of the process from the first step onward. We are here to forge new coalitions, to act and collaborate for our climate and to encourage civil society, businesses and our peers in cities and regions to join the #Uniting4Climate movement."

Throughout the day, speakers from all levels of government presented their actions, announced new initiatives and looked at ways to advance cooperation between all levels of government, with the community and with the private sector. They highlighted the key role of local and regional governments.

"Cities cannot win the fight on their own, but without cities, the fight cannot be won at all," said Hans-Joachim Fuchtel, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of Germany.

Frank Bainimarama, Prime Minister of Fiji and COP23 President, underscored sub-national power: "We can draw from the power and enthusiasm of local and regional leaders in the mission to tackle climate change. So many of you have already demonstrated how to make decisions and implement them."

This historic summit was a celebration of the many commitments of local and regional governments and their partners who support and work alongside them. It featured the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy and the Under2 Coalition, two key global coalitions of local and regional governments committed to climate action.

The Bonn-Fiji commitment solidifies their dedication to deliver on the goals of the Paris Agreement and to keep the global temperature rise well below two degrees Celsius.

For more information about the Bonn-Fiji Commitment, visit here.