Belfast, Dublin, the Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester have joined forces today in a partnership to develop practical approaches to accelerate the delivery of net-zero commitments in the four cities and city regions.

The historic agreement comes on the third day of an unprecedented mission to Ireland by Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, and Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, aimed at boosting trade and cultural links between Ireland and the North West of England.

Signed today, the agreement includes commitments to share best practice, knowledge and experience, to facilitate R&D, investment and business collaborations, and to co-ordinate joint participation at events.

Joint statement from Belfast, Dublin, the Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester:

Belfast, Dublin, Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester, with a collective population of over 5 million, will come together to form a cooperative partnership to develop practical approaches to accelerate the delivery of net-zero commitments in our cities and city regions.

Climate change is the greatest challenge facing our nations and our planet. That is why, we have developed ambitious climate agendas to become more equitable, fairer, prosperous and greener cities. Each of us are committed to the protection of our economies and our people and we are firmly of the view that working together will give us the best chance of realising the benefits of transitioning to a low carbon economy.

To achieve these goals, we are committed to:

• Sharing best practices, knowledge and experience;
• Connecting organisations and facilitating R&D, business and investment collaborations; and
• Coordinating joint participation at events (including the Net Zero Summit in June 2022) and hosting, where necessary, incoming delegations.