The Government of the Azores signed the Paris Declaration for Climate, which embodies the commitment and contribution of subnational governments to the UN Conference on Climate to be held in December 2015.

"The first goal of the Paris Declaration is to highlight the efforts that are already undertaken by regions, provinces and federal states across the world, even when the States to which they belong are not among the main supporters of the development of a green economy and, subsequently, of a far-reaching international agreement on climate," said the Regional Under Secretary of the Presidency for External Relations.

Rodrigo Oliveira took part in the 1st World Summit of the Regions for Climate on behalf of the Government of the Azores, Vasco Cordeiro. The government official stressed that in this declaration, regions restate the commitment to continue taking "concrete measure to fight against global warming by reducing green house gas emissions as well as enhancing energy efficiency and renewable energy production."

The Paris Declaration, which closed the works of the summit held in Paris on October 10-11, also highlights the "sharing of experiences and good practices." It provides the creation of a platform that aims "to recognise the efforts to reduce pollutant emissions that have been undertaken by regions."

The regions and federal states that signed the document have also set the following goals: "reinforce the capacity of local and regional governments in all countries regarding the effective implementation of projects designed to lower carbon emissions" and strengthen the development of interregional cooperation programmes with the aim of "streamlining the implementation of measures to enhance energy autonomy, efficiency and safety in all regions of the world."

Furthermore, the cooperation organisations and regions that signed the Paris Declaration have also committed themselves to develop projects intended to improve the skills of youngsters in the face of the transition from a green economy to a new a sustainable development model.

The Paris Declaration will be presented at various events, such as the World Climate Summit to be held in Lima (Peru) this year, the World Green Economy Summit to take place in Dubai next year and at the 2015 World Climate Summit that will be held in Paris. These presentation sessions are not only intended to collect signatures and increase the number of members, but also to provide a positive contribution to the decisions and outcomes of these conferences.

The World Summit of Regions gathered hundred of participants representing regions, federal states, universities, companies and the civil society. The event was organised by R20 - Regions for Climate Action, a non-governmental organisation founded in California in 2010; the President of the Government, Vasco Cordeiro, will take up the position of Vice-President for Europe.