Ron Huldai, Mayor of Tel Aviv – Yafo, joins dozens of C-40 Mayors in calling for a healthy, equitable and sustainable economic recovery to COVID-19 pandemic.
Statement endorsed by mayors of Los Angeles, Athens, Austin, Barcelona, Bogotá, Boston, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Curitiba, Freetown, Hong Kong, Houston, Lima, Lisbon, London,
Medellín, Melbourne, Mexico City, Milan, Montréal, New Orleans, New York City, Oslo, Portland, Quezon City, Rotterdam, Salvador, São Paulo, San Francisco, Santiago, Seattle,
Seoul, Sydney, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Vancouver
Mayor of Tel Aviv - Yafo, Ron Huldai joined fellow leaders from many of the world’s most powerful cities on Thursday May 7, to warn that the recovery from COVID-19 “should not be
a return to ‘business as usual’ - because that is a world on track for 3°C or more of over- heating.”
The C40 group of cities released a statement of principles, signed by Mayor Huldai, to shape the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. Mayors, representing more than 750 million people
worldwide, pledge, “to build a better, more sustainable and fairer society out of the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.”
The principles were adopted in the first meeting of C40’s Global Mayors COVID-19 Recovery Task Force, supported by C40 Chair, Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, and have been
endorsed by scores of city leaders from around the world, including Los Angeles, Athens, Austin, Barcelona, Bogotá, Boston, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Curitiba, Freetown, Hong Kong,
Houston, Lima, Lisbon, London, Medellín, Melbourne, Mexico City, Milan, Montréal, New Orleans, New York City, Oslo, Portland, Quezon City, Rotterdam, Salvador, São Paulo, San
Francisco, Santiago, Seattle, Seoul, Sydney, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Vancouver.
Today’s announcement comes after a series of virtual meetings attended by more than 40 mayors, demonstrating how they are working together globally to overcome both the
coronavirus and climate change crises.
Michael R. Bloomberg, C40 Board President and Mayor of New York City, 2002-2013 said: “This task force is committed to helping city leaders as they work on economic recovery in
ways that lead us forward into the future, not back into the past. The principles we’ve outlined will guide our efforts to develop a new normal – one that is greener, healthier, and
more prosperous for everyone.”
Statement of Principles:
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the world’s cities. It is not just a global health crisis, but a social and economic crisis, the effects of which will be felt for years to
come. In many ways it is also an urban phenomenon, with its roots in environmental destruction and humanity’s relationship with nature.
As mayors, we are committed to supporting the residents of our cities and protecting their health, based on the guidance of expert advice. As members of C40 Cities, we are sharing
what we have learned over the past months, and the knowledge we have gained in responding to other crises - public health, economic and environmental.
It is clear that the harm caused by COVID-19 has not been equitable. The most vulnerable and the most disadvantaged are being hurt the most by both the health and economic
impacts of COVID-19. It is also clear that the world was not fully prepared for this crisis, despite lessons learned from SARS, MERS, Ebola and other recent public health and climate
emergencies. This is, in part, a consequence of the undermining of international mechanisms and institutions which were built to bring peace and prosperity to all. It is, in
part, a consequence of ignoring science-based knowledge.
We, as leaders of major cities across the globe, are clear that our ambition should not be a return to ‘normal’ – our goal is to build a better, more sustainable, more resilient and fairer
society out of the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. Therefore, our joint strategy to support the recovery of our cities and their residents from COVID-19 will be governed by these
principles:
1. The recovery should not be a return to ‘business as usual’ - because that is a world on track for 3°C or more of over-heating;
2. The recovery, above all, must be guided by an adherence to public health and scientific expertise, in order to assure the safety of those who live in our cities;
3. Excellent public services, public investment and increased community resilience will form the most effective basis for the recovery;
4. The recovery must address issues of equity that have been laid bare by the impact of the crisis – for example, workers who are now recognised as essential should be
celebrated and compensated accordingly and policies must support people living in informal settlements;
5. The recovery must improve the resilience of our cities and communities. Therefore, investments should be made to protect against future threats – including the climate
crisis – and to support those people impacted by climate and health risks.
6. Climate action can help accelerate economic recovery and enhance social equity, through the use of new technologies and the creation of new industries and new
jobs. These will drive wider benefits for our residents, workers, students, businesses and visitors
7. We commit to doing everything in our power and the power of our city governments to ensure that the recovery from COVID-19 is healthy, equitable and sustainable;
8. We commit to using our collective voices and individual actions to ensure that national governments support both cities and the investments needed in cities, to
deliver an economic recovery that is healthy, equitable and sustainable;
9. We commit to using our collective voices and individual actions to ensure that international and regional institutions invest directly in cities to support a healthy,
equitable and sustainable recovery.
The full list of mayors to have formally endorsed the Statement of Principles are:
Ron Huldai, Mayor of Tel Aviv - Yafo
Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles
Kostas Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens
Stephen Adler, Mayor of Austin
Ada Colau, Mayor of Barcelona
Claudia López, Mayor of Bogotá
Martin J. Walsh, Mayor of Boston
Horacio Rodríguez-Larreta, Chief of Government of Buenos Aires
Lori Lightfoot, Mayor of Chicago
Rafael Greca, Mayor of Curitiba
Yvonne Saki-Sawyerr, Mayor of Freetown
KS Wong, Secretary for the Environment, Hong Kong, China
Sylvester Turner, Mayor of Houston
Fernando Medina, Mayor of Lisbon
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London
Jorge Muñoz, Mayor of Lima
Daniel Quintero Calle, Mayor of Medellín
Sally Capp, Lord Mayor of Melbourne
Claudia Sheinbaum, Mayor of Mexico City
Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan
Valérie Plante, Mayor of Montréal
LaToya Cantrell, Mayor of New Orleans
Bill de Blasio, Mayor of New York City
Raymond Johansen, Governing Mayor of Oslo
Ted Wheeler, Mayor of Portland
Josephina Belmonte, Mayor of Quezon City
Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor of Rotterdam
Antônio Carlos Peixoto de Magalhães Neto, Mayor of Salvador
Bruno Covas, Mayor of São Paulo
London Breed, Mayor of San Francisco
Felipe Guevara, Governor of Santiago
Jenny Durkan, Mayor of Seattle
Park Won-soon, Mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Seoul
Clover Moore, Lord Mayor of Sydney
Kennedy Stewart, Mayor of Vancouver
About C40
Around the world, C40 Cities connects 96 of the world’s greatest cities to take bold climate action,
leading the way towards a healthier and more sustainable future. Representing 700+ million citizens
and one quarter of the global economy, mayors of the C40 cities are committed to delivering on the
most ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement at the local level, as well as to cleaning the air we
breathe. The current chair of C40 is Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti; and three-term Mayor of
New York City Michael R. Bloomberg serves as President of the Board. C40’s work is made possible
by our three strategic funders: Bloomberg Philanthropies, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation
(CIFF), and Realdania.
To learn more about the work of C40 and our cities, please visit our website and C40 Knowledge Hub
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