With only a few weeks to go before the United Nations holds its second conference on sustainable development, Rio+20, the Committee of the Regions (CoR) argues that sustainable cities be placed at the heart of roadmap for sustainable development and be one of the global post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Mercedes Bresso, President of the Committee of the Regions (CoR) stressed in a press conference held on 7 of June that at Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, it should be ensured that sustainable cities are placed at the centre of the global plans on sustainable development in addition to clear and binding targets at international level. She also argued that initiatives such as the Covenant of Mayors and the European Green Capitals demonstrate how European cities are taking the lead in driving sustainable development. In March 2012, European regions and cities signed the "Copenhagen Declaration" to make cities greener, more socially inclusive and more competitive.

According to the CoR President, 50% of the total world population live in urban areas consuming between 60% to 80% of energy and emit 70% of all CO2. Ms Bresso pointed out that the CoR, which forms part of the European Union's delegation to Rio, will take the opportunity to use the conference as a platform to develop a global network of cities and regions to collaborate together and share best practise. She highlighted the success of the Covenant of Mayors which she suggested could be implemented on a global scale.

On the other hand, the Committee of the Regions will organise an event at Rio+20 entitled, “When cities breathe, people progress: Europe's Cities building partnerships” to implement the green agenda. World leaders are already in deep discussions about which areas should be prioritised and form the basis for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets before Rio+20.