This week, the Mayor Of New Orleans joined an
international task force boasting members from Seoul, South Korea; Milan,
Italy; Montreal, and Seattle, among several others. Mayor Latoya Cantrell joins
this team of mayors with the goal of globally uniting to ensure healthy and
fair economic growth after COVID-19.
The mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, today
chaired the first meeting of the Global Mayors COVID-19 Recovery Task Force,
established to drive forward an economic recovery that improves public health,
reduces inequality, and addresses the climate crisis.
Mayor Cantrell said of the need for action
going forward, "In both matters of climate change and this global pandemic,
mayors and their cities are gravely impacted and have to be at the forefront of
finding ways to rebuild our economy, particularly in ways that can advance our
climate-change goals."
Talking about the future of the initiative, Mayor
Sala said, "Our cities face an unprecedented challenge now, and we are
motivated to draw from our collective experience to provide support and
guidance to mayors around the world. We must be ambitious and focused, as well
as creative."
The mayor of Seoul, Woo-soon Park, stated that
the need for global cooperation is important, even as the impact on some areas
is unclear. C40, the group behind this organization of mayors, is responsible
for leading the world's great cities in taking on the challenges that face us
as a people: climate, health, and an overall more sustainable future.
The committee will meet regularly in the
coming weeks and months. Speaking for one quarter of the global economy, mayors
of the C40 cities are committed to delivering on the promises made in the Paris
Review and providing a healthy environment at the local level.
