World Summit of Regions

With the attendance of 650 delegates representing 99 regions and around thirty other levels of decentralised government, and 59 nationalities represented including 37 outside Europe, the Saint-Malo Summit of the Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development (nrg4sd) was a success beyond its organisers’ expectations. All continents across the globe were represented. The Saint-Malo Summit also boasted the participation of United Nations agencies (UNDP and UNEP), the Global Environment Facility, the European Union, the European Environment Agency and the Sahara and Sahel Observatory.

In addition to the speeches made, the participants spent the two days sharing their experiences (33 regional experiences presented in plenary sessions or in workshops), comparing their aspirations and setting the milestones for the future. This friendly working atmosphere was a high point for Brittany.

The agreements signed during the conference also bear witness to its success. The agreement between the UNDP and the regions marks the start of a political process through which the world’s regions will be more closely involved in the fight against climate change. This involvement is all the more urgent as greenhouse gas emissions are continuing at a steady pace and make the integration of new levels of government essential.

The Saint-Malo Summit was also punctuated by the announcement of the CLIMSAT global centre’s creation by the UNDP. This centre will provide regions with a set of digital data obtained via satellite imagery applications in order to help them to implement their climate policy and local sustainable development initiatives.

The new joint presidents of nrg4sd, the State of São Paulo for the Southern hemisphere and Brittany for the Northern hemisphere, are delighted to welcome new regions from Europe, Africa and Asia to the network. Through their diversity and in some cases the seriousness of their exposure to global warming, they make the network more representative of the world and bring with them rich experiences. They make the difficulty of the situation more tangible for all.

The Saint-Malo Summit is not to be seen as a conclusion, but as the start of a process to make the world’s voices heard and to highlight the real operational contribution of regions in the fight against global warming.

The road before us is still long to make the majority of regional climate change plans operational and to give concrete expression to cooperation initiatives between the world’s regions. Regions are often the first to face extreme climatic episodes and will be obliged to show their creativity in the future to come up with new planning methods, new development policies, public involvement initiatives and partnerships with each other.

As we can see, the work ahead of us is as vast as the threats to our planet and Brittany is proud and happy to have helped to lay some of the foundations. May all regions in the world pool their skills so we can succeed, for our children and the generations to come.

Brittany Regional Council