The Covenant of Mayors is a movement of local and regional authorities who voluntarily commit to increase energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources on their territories.

The movement was founded in Europe in 2008 and has recently been expanded to include cities in other parts of the world, from Central Asia to the Maghreb. Now almost 6500 cities and towns in 55 countries in 5 continents, with a population in excess of 208 million people, have joined the Covenant of Mayors, with an average reduction target of 28% .

European signatories aim to meet and exceed the EU’s goal of a 20 per cent reduction of CO2 by 2020.

The average goal put forward by Covenant members is more ambitious: a 28 per cent emissions reduction by that year.

In 2015, European energy Commissioner, Miguel Arias Canete announced a “New Covenant of Mayors” with 2030 targets to be launched in October this year.

Initiatives or Commitments That Can Be Included

All local and regional authorities, as well as groupings of local authorities, are eligible to take part in the initiative.

In addition to providing the framework for local authorities to sign up to the Covenant, the initiative provides a platform for strengthening the capacities of local and regional authorities to curb emissions via sustainable energy planning.

Covenant of Mayors offices provide support to signatories in the form of capacity building activities, exchange of know-how and best practices, as well as promotion of their actions.

Photo credit: Eric Sehr (Flickr)