7 March 2012: The R20 Regions of Climate Action held a conference on the theme “Road to Rio: Building the Green Economy,” in preparation for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20). The conference focused on regional efforts in implementing low-carbon projects and accessing environmental funding mechanisms for regional action.

The conference was held on 7 March 2012 in Geneva, Switzerland, and was hosted by the R20 and the Association of European Regions. The aim of the conference was to highlight the important role of regions and federal states in the transition to a green economy. It included sessions on: how regions are leading the way in addressing climate change; opportunities for regions in the green economy concept; the importance of subnational/regional governments for monitoring, reporting and verification; and accessing environment funding mechanisms for Subnational/Regional governments. A delegation of regional leaders, including R20 founding chair Arnold Schwarzenegger, will present the official outcome of the conference, in the form of a Declaration of Regions, at Rio+20 in June. The declaration will highlight the crucial role of regional governments in creating a sustainable global future. [R20 website]