“Mayors have a tremendous capacity to make decisions and directly impact people’s lives. It is up to us, as local authorities, to prioritize urban issues on global agendas. A city will not promote equality, opportunities, and economic growth without strategic urban planning. To change our cities’ realities, we must expand access to financing and investments targeted at local needs. The OECD Champion Mayors is the right place to build collective comprehension and disseminate actionable solutions.”
Eduardo Paes holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Law from PUC-Rio University. He has dedicated his career to public service, beginning in 1993 when, at the age of 23, he was appointed Supervisor of the Jacarepaguá and Barra city districts. He was twice elected to the City Council and twice to the Federal Congress.
In October 2008, he was elected Mayor of Rio de Janeiro. In 2012, he was reelected in the first round for a second term.
As mayor, Mr. Paes oversaw a cycle of great events in Rio de Janeiro, from the Rio+20 Conference in 2012, through the 2014 FIFA World Cup to the 2016 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, which accelerated major transportation, infrastructure and urban renewal projects in the city.
From 2013 to 2016 Mayor Paes served as Chair of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, succeeding Mayor Bloomberg of New York City.
Between 2017 and 2020, he worked as a consultant in the Urban Planning Department of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and as Vice President for Latin America of BYD Company Ltd., focusing on the management of metropolitan regions.
In 2020, he was elected mayor of the city for a third term, taking office on January 1st, 2021 with a commitment to leading the city’s recovery from an extreme fiscal crisis and the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2023 he joined the Board of the Resilient Cities Network (R-Cities), co-chairs the Urban SDG Finance Commission and rejoined the OECD Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth Initiative. He is currently the Vice-president of the Brazilian Conference of Mayors and its Special Envoy for Climate Change.
In February 2024, Mayor Paes was elected as Vice-Chair for Latin America of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.
Eduardo Paes is married and has two children. He is fluent in Portuguese, English and Spanish.
The Plan for Sustainable Development and Climate Action is organized into a hierarchical structure in which Vision and Aspirations bring the long-term prospects (30 years), while the Strategies, Targets and Actions, in addition to being directly related to SDGs, achieves what is expected in the next 10 years. In all, 134 goals were produced and expected to be achieved by 2030 through 978 actions. In turn, the actions are categorized according to their temporal milestones: 2022, 2026 and 2029, as well as routine actions.
More than 35,000 people participated directly in the debates on the city’s future for the next 30 years. Through the Participa.Rio platform, the city’s locals “dived” into the waves of participation online and left their contributions. Face-to-face activities were also fundamental for literal dialogue with the population at events that returned many relevant contributions. The projects include improvements to the city’s infrastructure as well as for its residents.
Find the plan here.
Through the Environment and Climate Secretariat of the City of Rio de Janeiro (SMAC), the Municipal Government of Rio de Janeiro, in collaboration with the International Youth Observatory (OIJ), PerifaLab and the Columbia Climate Hub, has launched the program “Youth Negotiators for Climate.” This program aims to ensure a diverse and inclusive representation of young people from Rio de Janeiro in national and global climate discussions.
The program, which includes scholarships and a network of experts from both within and outside the country, is exclusively designed for young individuals aged 18 to 29 residing in peripheral areas or favelas and who have graduated from the public education system. Pioneering in Brazil, the program recognizes that decisions made during future climate negotiations will directly impact future generations, emphasizing the essential need for their voices to be heard. Young people constitute a segment of the population that often bears the brunt of the most significant impacts of climate change, especially those living in marginalized communities. The program’s goal is to provide unique perspectives on the challenges faced by their communities and the effective solutions that can be implemented to address them. Fifty young residents of Rio de Janeiro already graduated on October 2023, with a commitment and a mission to contribute to the discussions of the Climate Agenda of Brazil and the United Nations.
The Global Network of Anti-Racist Cities, inaugurated by Mayor Eduardo Paes of Rio de Janeiro at the First Summit of Cities of the Americas in Denver, USA, represents a pioneering effort to champion innovative public policies aimed at advancing racial equality. This groundbreaking initiative is committed to fostering the well-being of diverse ethnicities, including but not limited to the black, indigenous, quilombola, Roma people, traditional African populations, refugees, immigrants, and other socially vulnerable groups. The network stands as a tangible realization of the Pact to Combat Racism and Promote Ethnic-Racial Equity, initially proposed by the City of Rio de Janeiro and its Department for the Promotion of Racial Equality (CPIR) on June 20, 2022, and endorsed at that time by 21 Brazilian cities.
From its inception at the national level, this initiative has been focused on establishing and solidifying a Racial Equality Policy Monitoring Index (INDEPIR). Developed through collaborative efforts between CPIR, municipalities in the state of Rio de Janeiro, and technical support from the Federal Fluminense University (UFF), the methodology is rooted in 45 indicators. This comprehensive index serves as a dynamic “roadmap” tracking the progress of municipal administrations in adopting policies, programs, projects, and initiatives dedicated to racial equality. Having gained momentum at the national level, the network now extends a global invitation to cities across continents to join this crucial initiative. With over 70 cities worldwide already on board, the Global Network of Anti-Racist Cities is set to hold its inaugural meeting on November 27th. During this gathering, discussions will revolve around the network’s statute and the agenda for forthcoming actions, marking a significant milestone in the collective pursuit of a more just and inclusive world.