Joint Statement London Climate Action Week, June 2026
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London, 26 June 2026 – Valérie Pécresse, President of Paris Region (Île-de-France) has been appointed Vice-President for Europe of Regions4, the global network of regions driving action in climate change, biodiversity, and sustainable development. The announcement was made today at London Climate Action Week, one of the most important annual gatherings for subnational climate action. It marks a significant step in both organisations’ efforts to ensure that regions secure the political recognition, the voice in international processes, and the access to finance they need to drive the climate transition. 

Why London, Why Now 

London Climate Action Week is one of the key moments in the international calendar where regions, states, provinces and civil society make the case that the ambition needed to meet global climate targets will not come from national governments alone. It is here that subnational actors show what is already happening on the ground and demand the enabling conditions to go further. 

Among those conditions is access to finance. Regions across Europe and the world are ready to act, but often find themselves locked out of the climate finance architecture, unable to access multilateral funds directly, underrepresented in the design of financial instruments, and insufficiently supported by national frameworks. Regions4 and Paris Region are in London to call for a fundamental shift: regional governments must be recognised as direct partners in climate finance, not intermediaries waiting for national governments to pass resources down. The financial and institutional resources made available to regions must be increased to enable regions to take the necessary action to respond to the climate emergency and halt the collapse of biodiversity.

“Paris Region stepping up as Vice-President for Europe is a powerful signal — not just for Regions4, but for the wider climate agenda. As France’s leading economic region, home to the capital, and a territory where rural and urban realities, natural ecosystems, infrastructure and innovation come together, it reflects the full complexity of climate action on the ground. Here at London Climate Action Week, our message is clear: regions are already delivering — investing in solutions, cutting emissions, restoring ecosystems and protecting communities. That is why they can no longer be sidelined from climate decision-making or finance. Investing at the regional scale is a real opportunity to accelerate systemic change: regions sit at the frontline of social, ecological and economic systems; they bridge urban and rural realities; and they multiply impact across municipalities. With Paris Region by our side, Regions4 has an extraordinary voice to carry this agenda forward,  and to show why regional governments are not peripheral actors, but essential partners in delivering climate action at scale.
Natalia Uribe Pando – Secretary General, Regions4 

Paris Region as Regions4 New Vice-Presidency for Europe  

As Regions4 Vice-President for Europe, Paris Region takes on a mandate to strengthen the European subnational voice in global processes, serving as a bridge between European regions and the international networks where climate and biodiversity commitments are made, tracked, and translated into action. 

This reflects both the region’s standing as a leading voice in European and international forums as the most powerful economic hub in Europe, and Regions4’s long-standing experience in bringing regional voices to the heart of global discussions. 

“I am pleased and honoured to have been chosen to serve as Regions4’s Vice-President for Europe, a role that reflects the culmination of the work we have carried out with our European partners. I firmly believe that the role of regions, championed in particular by Regions4, must be fully recognised and strengthened at both the European and international levels. United within Regions4, regions around the world can not only carry greater weight in international decision-making, but above all act more quickly and effectively in response to the climate emergency. This appointment, together with Paris Region’s membership in the Regions4 network, reaffirms and embodies our commitment to tackling climate change and protecting biodiversity. As Vice-President, I will be fully committed to advancing this ambition.  Valérie Pécresse – President of Paris Region  

Paris Region is well placed for this role. With more than 12 million inhabitants and generating nearly 30% of French GDP, it is Europe’s most powerful economic hub. But its relevance is not only economic: the region has built a substantive track record on environmental governance, showing that ambition and accountability can go hand in hand at regional scale.

Among the results already achieved: 

• More than 1.3 million trees planted across the territory;
• Nearly 500 km of hedgerows established and 45 km of riverbanks restored; 
• A 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions between 2010 and 2022; 
• A commitment that by 2026, nearly 60% of regional investment expenditure will be beneficial or highly beneficial to climate mitigation. 

This is a region that covers just 2% of France’s land area but is home to 18% of its population. Paris Region has shown that density is not an obstacle to sustainability, and it intends to make that case internationally through its new role in Regions4. 

A Shared Agenda 

In taking on the Vice-Presidency for Europe, Paris Region commits to encouraging all of its international cooperation partners to become part of the network. Through its long-standing relationships with regions, cities and institutional partners across the world, Paris Region aims to strengthen the gobal coalition of subnational governments engaged in climate action and biodiversity protection. 

The Region will also actively share its expertise in designing and implementing climate policies, suitainable sustainable mobility solutions, biodiversity preservation initiatives and green financing mechanisms. Through Regions4, Paris Region intends to contribute to the dissemination of best practices and support the scaling up of innovative territorial solutions to environmental challenges. 

Finally, Paris Region will work within Regions4 to improve regions’ access to the public and private financing needed to adapt to climate change and accelerate the ecological transition. Drawing on its experience as a pioneer in sustainable finance, the Region will advocate for a stronger recognition of regional governments as key actors in mobilising investment and delivering concrete climate action on the ground. 

Regions4, in turn, will fully integrate Paris Region into its governance, promote its leadership in international processes and draw on its experience and convening power as a platform for the wider network on global discussions on biodiversity, climate change and sustainable development. 

Both organisations share a conviction that regional governments must move from the margins to the centre of the international climate response, and that this is more urgent than ever, as targets grow more ambitious while the gap between commitment and action widens. Regional governments act closest to the ground: they know their territories, understand the specific vulnerabilities of their communities, and can translate global commitments into concrete, local change in ways that national governments cannot. That is the whole point of Paris Region’s membership of Regions4.  

Paris Region joined Regions4 in December 2025. Today’s appointment builds on that membership, elevating the Region, Europe’s most powerful economic hub, to a leadership role at a moment when European regions are pushing hard for their place at the table in global climate governance.