On 23 June 2025, the Chief Representative of the European Office of the City of Yokohama, on behalf of Mayor Yamanaka, attended an international conference in Paris to mark the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement. City leaders and international organizations from around the world came together to promote the achievements of the Paris Agreement and express further solidarity towards COP30.
Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo
Paris to Belém
The Paris Agreement, adopted at the 2015 Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21), celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Prior to the opening of the conference, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said, “I am proud of what the Paris Agreement has achieved so far. However, challenges remain and there is a need to accelerate cross-border efforts”.
She called for further solidarity and stressed the importance of the role cities can play in confronting climate change: “From Paris to Belém, I hope we can make great progress together with you”.
Urban leadership urgently required
The conference included keynotes by European Council President António Costa, former French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who was COP21 President, and COP30 Secretary General Ana Toni, as well as three panel discussions entitled “Progress in cities over the last decade”; “Democracy, justice and climate change”; and “Governance, financing and commitments towards 2050”.
Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes
More than ten city leaders from around the world, including Milan, Utrecht, Douala, London, Phoenix and Taipei, as well as international organizations such as the EU, the UN, the OECD and the GCoM, of which Mayor Yamanaka is the East Asian Regional Representative, shared the achievements of the Paris Agreement and discussed ways in which we can continue to respond to the climate change crisis.
‘COP30 is a great opportunity for the international community to launch the decade of action together in full swing. Mayors and local government leaders must show action’, Eduardo Paes, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro said, stressing the importance of city leadership.
A look into the conference
Yokohama, Asia’s Leading Environmentally Advanced City
Attending the conference, the City of Yokohama sought to increase cooperation with participating cities and international organizations.
The City of Yokohama, which has received high praise for its climate change measures, such as being the first city in the world to be selected by the OECD to be assessed for climate change measures, has been promoting various initiatives while strengthening cooperation with domestic and international stakeholders, including the City of Paris.
This November, the Asia Smart City Conference will be held on the theme of promoting the circular economy and carbon neutrality; in 2027, the Asia-Pacific Urban Forum and GREEN x EXPO 2027 will be held in Yokohama.
