“No Return to Business as Usual”: Mayors Pledge on COVID-19 Economic Recovery

C40 mayors issue call for a healthy, equitable and sustainable economic recovery to COVID-19 pandemic.

Statement endorsed by mayors of Los Angeles, Athens, Austin, Barcelona, Bogotá, Boston, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Copenhagen, Curitiba, Durban, Freetown, Hong Kong, Houston, Lima, Lisbon, London, Medellín, Melbourne, Mexico City, Milan, Montréal, New Orleans, New York City, Oslo, Portland, Quezon City, Rotterdam, Salvador, São Paulo, San Francisco, Santiago,  Seattle, Seoul, Sydney, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Vancouver

London, 07 May – Mayors from many of the world’s most powerful cities have warned that the recovery from COVID-19 “should not be a return to ‘business as usual’ – because that is a world on track for 3°C or more of over-heating.”The C40 group of cities released a statement of principles to shape the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. Mayors, representing millions of people worldwide, pledge “to build a better, more sustainable and fairer society out of the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.”

The principles were adopted in the first meeting of C40’s Global Mayors COVID-19 Recovery Task Force, supported by C40 Chair, Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, and have been endorsed by scores of city leaders from around the world, including Los Angeles, Athens, Austin, Barcelona, Bogotá, Boston, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Copenhagen, Curitiba, Durban, Freetown, Hong Kong, Houston, Lima, Lisbon, London, Medellín, Melbourne, Mexico City, Milan, Montréal, New Orleans, New York City, Oslo, Portland, Quezon City, Rotterdam, Salvador, São Paulo, San Francisco, Santiago,  Seattle, Seoul, Sydney, Tel Aviv-Yafo and Vancouver .

Today’s announcement comes after a series of virtual meetings attended by more than 40 mayors, demonstrating how they are working together globally to overcome both the coronavirus and climate change crises.

The Global Mayors COVID-19 Recovery Task Force 
The Task Force will establish a common framework that all of C40’s global membership can use to create  a “new normal” for city economies; agree upon concrete measures they can put in place for recovery;how to communicate about the climate crisis in a post-COVID-19 world; and how can they influence stimulus packages and interventions to support the necessary transition to a more sustainable, low-carbon, inclusive and healthier economy for people and the planet.

The Global Mayors COVID-19 Recovery Task Force will draw on the expertise of leading economists, including Kate Raworth, creator of internationally acclaimed framework Doughnut Economics and Senior Research Associate at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute; and heard at its first meeting from Michael Jacobs, Professorial Fellow at the  Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI) at the University of Sheffield.

Statement of Principles:

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the world’s cities. It is not just a global health crisis, but a social and economic crisis, the effects of which will be felt for years to come. In many ways it is also an urban phenomenon, with its roots in environmental destruction and humanity’s relationship with nature.

As mayors, we are committed to supporting the residents of our cities and protecting their health, based on the guidance of expert advice. As members of C40 Cities, we are sharing what we have learned over the past months, and the knowledge we have gained in responding to other crises – public health, economic and environmental.

It is clear that the harm caused by COVID-19 has not been equitable. The most vulnerable and the most disadvantaged are being hurt the most by both the health and economic impacts of COVID-19. It is also clear that the world was not fully prepared for this crisis, despite lessons learned from SARS, MERS, Ebola and other recent public health and climate emergencies. This is, in part, a consequence of the undermining of international mechanisms and institutions which were built to bring peace and prosperity to all. It is, in part, a consequence of ignoring science-based knowledge.

We, as leaders of major cities across the globe, are clear that our ambition should not be a return to ‘normal’ – our goal is to build a better, more sustainable, more resilient and fairer society out of the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. Therefore, our joint strategy to support the recovery of our cities and their residents from COVID-19 will be governed by these principles: