Bertrand Delanoë was elected Mayor of Paris in March 2001 and re-elected for a second mandate in March 2008. He is the President of the International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF) and Honorary President of United Cities and Local Governments.

In addition to an unwavering commitment to social justice and sustainable development, innovation has been a guiding principle in the Mayor’s approach to policy-making. In the area of public transport, for example, innovation has successfully diversified the transport offer and reduced pollution, notably via the new tramway, the self-service bicycle scheme Vélib’, and most recently Autolib’, an electric car rental scheme allowing Parisians and visitors to rent vehicles 24/7 from more than 1,000 stations in the Ile-de-France region.