UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, with the aim of raising political will and mobilizing action among cities as part of the Secretary-General's long-term strategy to advance efforts on climate change.
31 January 2014: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, with the aim of raising political will and mobilizing action among cities as part of the Secretary-General’s long-term strategy to advance efforts on climate change. The Special Envoy’s focus will include bringing concrete solutions to the 2014 Climate Summit, scheduled to take place in New York, US, on 23 September 2014.
According to the UN announcement, Bloomberg will assist the UN Secretary-General in his consultations with mayors and related key stakeholders to galvanize urban action to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Bloomberg, who was the mayor of New York city for 12 years and left this office on 31 December 2013, currently serves as the President of the Board of the C40 Climate Leadership Group, a network of large cities from around the world committed to implementing meaningful and sustainable climate-related actions locally that will help address climate change globally. [UN Press Release] [UN Announcement] [World Bank President’s Statement on the Appointment]