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As part of the G20 Leaders’ Summit, the first Sherpa meeting of Urban 20 (U20), one of the 10 engagement groups under G20, to prepare the urban agenda will be held in Ahmedabad on February 9-10, said ministry of housing and urban affairs officials.
U20 is a city diplomacy initiative wherein cities of participating nations discuss city-level efforts to address pressing global challenges.
The priority areas of U20 are climate change and sustainable development, including socio-economic issues.
India assumed the presidency of G20 on December 1 for a year, and Ahmedabad will host the U20 meetings that will culminate in U20 Mayors’ Summit in July 2023.
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According to senior ministry officials, six priority areas for the February meeting are, encouraging environmentally responsive behavior, ensuring water security, accelerating climate finance, leveraging ‘local’ potential and identity, reinventing urban governance and planning frameworks, and catalysing digital urban futures.
“The effort of this cycle will be to move from ‘intention to action’ and draft a roadmap for closing the gaps between policy and practice to address critical urban issues. The Communiqué, outcome document reflecting the aspiration of the participating cities, will be presented by the Mayor of Ahmedabad to the Prime Minister of India or his representative,” said the statement from the housing and urban affairs ministry.
The meeting will be attended by members of G20 countries, mayors and representatives of Climate40 and United Cities and Local Governments (two international non-governmental advocacy groups on urban issues).
“Under the G20 presidency of India, Ahmedabad, a UNESCO World Heritage city, will host the U20 cycle. Along with C40 (Climate 40) and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), two international non-governmental advocacy groups on urban issues, Ahmedabad will organize various events including City Sherpas’ inception meeting on 9-10 February 2023, thematic discussions and side events on urban development issues culminating with U20 Mayors’ Summit in July 2023,” said the statement from the housing and urban affairs ministry.
On Monday, Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel unveiled the logo, website and social media handles of Urban-20 at an event in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Union housing and urban affair minister Hardeep Singh Puri joined the event virtually.
The National institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), under the ministry of housing and urban affairs, has been tasked to provide technical assistance in preparing the urban agenda for U20.
Leading up to the G20 Leaders’ Summit, U20 holds various Sherpa meetings (in-person and/or online) and Mayoral summit to discuss and develop the year’s deliverables and coordinates the high-level U20 Summit, to showcase the leadership of U20 Cities and present their collective message.
According to Hitesh Vaidya, Director of NIUA, “This city diplomacy initiative is a significant opportunity to catalyze and enable development in focus areas by deliberating on emerging technologies, solutions utilizing data, aggregating knowledge and innovations to unlock more effective mechanisms of governance and better models of development.”
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