Eduardo Paes was first elected Mayor of Rio de Janeiro in 2008 and is currently in his fourth term. As mayor, Mayor Paes oversaw a cycle of notable 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 important transportation, infrastructure and urban renewal projects in the city.
Mayor Paes served as Chair of C40 Cities between 2013-2016, succeeding Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City.
In 2023 he joined the Board of the Resilient Cities Network (R-Cities) and co-chairs the Urban SDG Finance Commission. He is currently the Vice-president of the Brazilian Conference of Mayors and its Special Envoy for Climate Change.