The important role of cities: Mayors from more than 60 cities around the world meet at Urban 20

The confirmed attendees include the mayors of Paris, Barcelona, Milan, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Helsinki, Phoenix, Montreal, Freetown, Johannesburg, Medellin, and Montevideo, among others. The mayors' summit will present a document to President Lula, consolidating the commitments discussed.

Urban 20 (U20), the meeting of G20 mayors in the city of Rio de Janeiro, starts on November 14. The event will take place between November 14 and 17. Mayor Eduardo Paes will host more than 60 mayors and delegations from more than 100 cities around the world. The event takes place at Armazém da Utopia, in Complexo Mauá, the hub of G20 Social activities, which will bring together social and cultural movements in the region.

The global conference of U20, the group founded by Major Cities for Climate Leadership (C40 Group), and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), will take place for the first time on the eve of the G20 Leaders' Summit.To influence heads of state, a statement will be prepared with proposals from cities to solve social, climate, and financing problems for municipal projects. The document will be delivered by Paes and U20 representatives to the Federal Government, which will transmit the cities' demands to the G20 leaders, meeting at the Museum of Modern Art on November 18 and 19.

The confirmed attendees include the mayors of Paris, Barcelona, Milan, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Helsinki, Phoenix, Montreal, Freetown, Johannesburg, Medellin, and Montevideo, among others. Deputy mayors and city councilors from cities such as London, New York, Buenos Aires, and Singapore also confirmed their presence. In total, more than 136 cities will be represented by municipal authorities at U20 in Rio de Janeiro.

Senior members of Bloomberg Philanthropies—which sponsors the event—, C40, the Inter-American Development Bank, the UN, and other urban leaders will also attend U20 sessions and conferences.

Aligned with the objectives of the G20 Social—a pioneering initiative by the Brazilian presidency to include civil society in discussions among authorities—the U20 will present a broad program, with panels organized by city networks and municipal leaders on the G20's priority themes. Registration to participate is free and open to the audience.

The U20 will address the priority themes of the G20, proposed by the federal government, highlighting the perspective of local governments and the diversity of urban realities among the G20 members. The three main axes of discussion are social inclusion, ending hunger and poverty, energy transition, tackling climate change, and the reform of global governance institutions.

The group of cities will also focus on financing issues for urban climate resilience measures. Among the topics discussed are partnerships to implement climate actions, reform of multilateral development banks (MDBs), just climate transition, creation of green jobs, and financing to enhance the resilience of urban areas.

There will be sessions on financing for urban resilience projects, including decarbonizing transportation and supporting startups, with the participation of organizations such as Columbia Climate Hub, CEBRI, and World Resources Institute. In 2018, for example, only 7% to 8% of the US$4.5 to US$5.4 trillion needed to finance climate initiatives reached these poorer cities, highlighting the lack of adequate investment.

Another highlight will be the launch of the Brazil Hub, by the Center of the Urban Climate Finance Coalition, which will facilitate access to financing for climate infrastructure.

Program

On November 15, the main stage will host the G20 Favelas session, focusing on the role of favelas as hubs of innovation and entrepreneurship. There will also be debates on urban governance and generation of decent jobs through the social economy.

At 3:00 p.m., the Megacities Summit, convened by Metropolis—the World Association of Major Metropolises—and the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Istanbul, will discuss a collaborative agenda for megacities. At 4:30 p.m., Breathe Cities Rio de Janeiro, an initiative of the Clean Air Fund, C40, and Bloomberg Philanthropies, will be launched to combat air pollution in the city of Rio.

On November 16, the main stage will feature the session Artificial Intelligence for Social Good, promoted by Google, and C40 Cities will discuss financing climate action at various levels. At 12:00 pm, there will be the launch of the Local Social Pact by UCLG, focused on social cohesion and inclusion.

On the last day, November 17, the mayors' summit meeting will take place, which will be closed to the audience. There will be a transmission of the U20 document to President Lula and a press conference at the Museum of Tomorrow, consolidating the commitments discussed.

*This report is provided by Agência Brasil.

*Translated by PGET-UFSC

See also