Rio de Janeiro will host Urban 20 (U20), the meeting of mayors from the G20 (group of the 20 largest economies in the world), between the 14th and 17th of November. 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 for G20 Social activities, which will bring together social and cultural movements in the region.
The global conference of U20, a group founded by Big 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.
With the aim of influencing 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 (MAM) on November 18th and 19th.
Among the authorities already confirmed for the U20 are 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 participate in U20 sessions and conferences.
In an unprecedented way, the U20 Mayors’ Summit in Rio will be a four-day event, with registration free and open to the public. In line with the objective of the G20 Social – a pioneering initiative of the Brazilian presidency to include civil society in the authorities’ discussions –, the U20 will bring a broad program, with panels organized by city networks and municipal leaders, on the G20’s priority themes.
The U20 will address the G20’s priority themes, proposed by the federal government, highlighting the perspective of local governments and the diversity of urban realities among G20 members.
The three main axes of discussion are social inclusion and combating hunger and poverty, energy transition and combating climate change, in addition to reforming global governance institutions.
The group of cities will also focus on financing issues for urban climate resilience measures. Among the topics covered are partnerships to implement climate actions, reform of multilateral development banks (MDBs), fair climate transition, creation of green jobs and financing to improve the resilience of urban areas.
There will be sessions on financing for urban resilience projects, including transport decarbonization and support for startups, with participation from organizations such as Columbia Climate Hub, CEBRI and World Resources Institute.
Another highlight will be the launch of the Brazil Hub, by the Urban Climate Financing Coalition Center (CCFLA), which will facilitate access to financing for climate infrastructure.
Schedule
On the 15th, the main stage will host the G20 Favelas session, which aims to address the role of favelas as centers of innovation and entrepreneurship. There will also be debates on urban governance and the generation of decent jobs through the social economy.
At 3pm, the Megacities Summit, convened by Metropolis – World Association of Large Metropolises – and the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Istanbul, will discuss a collaborative agenda for megacities. At 4:30 pm, Breathe Cities Rio de Janeiro will be launched, an initiative by the Clean Air Fund, C40 and Bloomberg Philanthropies, to combat air pollution in the city of Rio.
On the 16th, the Main Stage will highlight the Artificial Intelligence for Social Good session, promoted by Google, and C40 Cities will discuss financing climate action at multiple levels. At 12pm, there will be the launch of the Local Social Pact by UCLG, focused on social cohesion and inclusion.
On the last day, November 17th, the mayors’ summit meeting will take place, which will be closed to the public, there will be the transmission of the U20 document to President Lula and a press conference at the Museum of Tomorrow, consolidating the commitments discussed.
U20 statement
The U20 highlights in its statement to the heads of state of the world’s largest economies that cities play a crucial role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement, but they still do not receive the necessary recognition.
The C40 also focuses especially on the global south, highlighting that climate challenges, such as food shortages and poverty, mainly affect cities in the Global South, which are least responsible for these crises. In 2018, only 7% to 8% of the $4.5 to $5.4 trillion needed to finance climate initiatives reached these cities, showing a lack of adequate investment.
