The signing ceremony was organized by the DC Greening Embassies Forum in collaboration with the District of Columbia and the Embassy of Italy. The event was also attended by senior officials representing the White House, the U.S. State Department and the District of Columbia.

The DC Sustainability Pledge recognizes the collective commitment of Embassies and international institutions in the District of Columbia to support the District’s “Sustainable DC” plan and its goal to make the District the greenest city in the United States.

The original pledge was signed in 2012 by almost 80 Embassies and other international institutions. The revised pledge, almost five years later, highlights the goals of the Paris Climate Change Agreement and renews the DC’s international community’s commitment to support the host city’s green goals.

The D.C. Greening Embassies Forum affords the diplomatic corps a platform to contribute to the District’s environmental efforts through, among other measures, sharing best practices, conducting training for embassy staff, supporting local sustainability events. The success of the diplomatic community in Washington DC through the DC Greening Embassies Forum has generated similar efforts by the diplomatic corps in Rome and Bangkok, which have launched matching forum chapters and pledges.