Abu Dhabi, Dubai Among 39 Global Cities Endorsing Urban20's 2020 Communiqué

A record 39 mayors and representatives of leading global cities including Abu Dhabi, represented by Falah Mohammad Al Ahbabi, Chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport, and Dubai - represented by Dawood Abdulrahman Al Hajiri, Director-General of Dubai Municipality, endorsed the official 27-point Urban 20, U20, Communiqué, which was officially handed over to the G20 on the final day of the U20 Mayors’ Summit.

Hosted virtually from Riyadh, the cities carrying out the endorsement at the summit included Barcelona, Berlin, Buenos Aires, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Montreal, Osaka, Paris, Rome, Seoul and Tokyo.

As cities seek to recover from the disruption of the coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic in a sustainable, inclusive way, the commitments, asks and policy recommendations presented to the world’s leaders in the Communiqué will play a central role in the revitalisation and reimagining of urban spaces.

With the context that more than 68 per cent of the world’s population is set to live in cities by 2050, the U20’s 27-point Communiqué emphasised a categorical imperative for G20 member states to ensure that national governments "must crucially invest directly in cities as the engines of the recovery," according to the five-page official document.

The official U20 Communiqué can be accessed in its entirety on www.Urban20Riyadh.org Further, the Communiqué calls on heads of state and governments of the G20 to work together in four main areas: Partner by Investing in a Green and Just Post COVID-19 Recovery 1. U20 cities call on the G20 to design green stimulus funding, corporate support, and other recovery funds to support the development of climate-resilient and inclusive societies and ensure this funding reaches the territorial levels and is reflected in International Financial Institutions (IFIs) lending.

2. Investments should be made in cities’ social infrastructure, in particular health, education and public transport systems alongside sustainability priorities, specifically by investing in ‘shovel-ready’ carbon-neutral projects to generate green jobs and increase equitable participation in the labour force.

3. U20 cities further ask national leaders to cooperate with us towards guaranteeing access to vaccines for the COVID-19 virus without discrimination of any kind and that technology and innovation equitably serve people during and following the COVID-19 recovery.

Safeguard our Planet through National and Local Collaboration 1. U20 cities call on the G20 leaders to work together with cities to respond immediately to the climate emergency by substantially reducing GHG emissions to collectively deliver the 50 percent global reduction required by 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality no later than 2050 - in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement and taking into account the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report on 1.5 Degrees of Global Warming.

2. U20 cities also call on the G20 leaders to mainstream and strengthen the role and active participation of cities in the local implementation of international biodiversity, climate and sustainability goals - such as by investing in nature-based solutions and including cities in the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, GBF.

Accelerate the Transition to a Circular, Carbon-neutral Economy 1. U20 cities call upon the G20 to develop enabling environments to foster the circular economy and the implementation of the 4Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover), enhance the financial capacity of local governments in adopting circular economy initiatives as well as promote research and capacity building on resource use, and, with a specific focus on mobility, invest in carbon-neutral, quality mobility systems to support sustainable and affordable zero-emission mass transit.

2. U20 cities further call on G20 leaders to increase investment in renewables and adopt a universal right of access to urban sanitation and waste management and promote "zero waste societies".

Empower People to Deliver a More Equitable and Inclusive Future U20 cities call on G20 leaders to address equitable urban social safety nets and protection, growth of systems to ensure affordable and accessible housing, equal and quality education and employment opportunities for all, protection of all women from inequality and violence, and elimination of socioeconomic disparities between different ethnic groups.

The Communiqué is the culmination of more than 1,000 pages of seminal research, drafted by three U20 taskforces over more than nine months of research and collaboration. The 27 policy recommendations made to the G20 form the engine of a drive to achieve equitable, carbon-neutral, inclusive and healthy cities in the immediate future.

Commenting on the official presentation of the U20’s Communiqué to the G20, U20 Chair Fahd Al-Rasheed said, "Though we discussed and debated whether cities are as relevant today as they were before COVID-19, the answer, from all sides, is a resounding yes.

Addressing participants, UN-Habitat Executive Director Maimunah Sharif stated, "I would like to thank the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and our generous host, the Royal Commission for Riyadh City for the huge efforts made to organise the U20 as part of the Chairmanship of Saudi Arabia to the G20 in 2020"

Houston Sherpa Christopher Olsen said, "It is the cities of the world that face the biggest challenges – such as climate change, human rights, and sustainable development. But the cities are also coming up with the solutions. That is where the opportunities lie."

Fahd Al-Rasheed called on the mayors and city representatives in virtual attendance, to help people "find a way to thrive despite the circumstances."

Governor Yoriko Koike of Tokyo added, "While continuing to take up the challenge of forging the future Tokyo, we wish to move forward in partnership with the cities of the world for a sustainable recovery, namely the shared goal of realising a resilient and sustainable society."

Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta of Buenos Aires noted, "The COVID-19 pandemic has made clear the vital role cities play in protecting both our people and our planet. Buenos Aires, as the first-ever chair of the U20, is convinced that dialogue with the G20 is crucial and that the cooperation needed to foster a sustainable transformation must include cities."