U20 cities call on the G20 to prioritize anurban perspective in tackling global issues
An ofﬁcial communiqué from Urban 20 (U20)

Image: Orbon Alija

We, the representatives of the largest and mosteconomically powerful cities in Group of Twenty(G20) member states, believe the G20 should work
hand in hand with us to achieve our collective goalof fair, inclusive, and sustainable development.
The major challenges addressed annually by theG20 are everyday realities in large, medium andfast-growing cities around the world. As enginesof growth and innovation, cities often lead theway in formulating and implementing solutions totackle global issues ranging from climate change
to social integration.
Launched in December 2017 by the Mayors of
Buenos Aires and Paris, the Urban 20 (U20) brings
our cities together to contribute our knowledge
and advice to G20 forums; to ask the G20 toformally recognize the broad, ongoing efforts at
city-level to address the most pressing globalchallenges; and to call on the G20 to translate therecommendations in our Joint Statement andCommuniqué into action.
Our ambition, commitment to action, andcollaborative spirit must match the challenges oftoday. We therefore urge the G20 to acknowledge
urban experiences and contributions as essential
tools and components of the solutions to theglobal challenges of our time.

COMMUNIQUÉ FROM URBAN 20 (U20)

OCTOBER 2018 • 3

To the 2018 Argentina G20, we call on G20 member
states to:
Step Up Climate Ambition

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Fully and rapidly implement the Paris Agreement, to hold theincrease in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C
above pre-industrial level and pursuing efforts to limit thetemperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial level, andincrease our resilience to the impacts of climate change, bystepping up climate ambition and preparing comprehensive
long-term strategies to achieve carbon neutrality in the second
half of the century, that integrate cities’ contributions and alignpolicies across sectors and levels of government.
Provide support to diversify the ﬁnancial resources available
for mitigation and adaptation solutions at the local level, giving
cities the power to undertake ambitious climate action that willdrive the global implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Support city commitments to build resilience and achieve aninclusive and equitable low-carbon transition by advancing
zero-carbon buildings, zero-waste, and green and healthy
streets in urban areas by lending political support, resources
and capacity, speciﬁcally for those cities disproportionately
affected by the impacts of climate change.
Consider the speciﬁc challenges faced by cities as a result of
air pollution, disasters, poverty, inequality, and climate-induced
migration when determining policy, programming and budgetingat the national level, since inclusive climate action can generateopportunities and beneﬁts including, but not limited to,economic growth, job creation, improved health andgender equality.
Support policy to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement
and accelerate a global shift away from fossil fuels toward clean
and renewable energy, including carbon pricing that reﬂects thesocial cost of carbon, increasing investment in climate solutions,the reduction or removal of fossil fuel subsidies, and othermeasures, as appropriate.

COMMUNIQUÉ FROM URBAN 20 (U20)

OCTOBER 2018 • 4

Empower Citizens for Future Labor Markets

060708Collaborate with cities in developing and implementing
education, training, skill-building, apprenticeship systems,
and employment programs. Coordinate development-oriented
policies to support and empower employers, workers, andcitizens to shape future labor markets and adjust to changing
paradigms. Adapt to advances in digital technologies and newmodels of production and consumption and harness theopportunities stemming from these new technologies.
Promote entrepreneurship, support micro, small, andmedium-sized businesses, and foster the development ofenterprises with speciﬁc focus on youth opportunities andgender empowerment, by promoting targeted employment
and entrepreneurship programs.
Improve women and girls’ access to education, skills, training
and ﬁnancial support to enhance their economic empowerment.

Achieve Social Integration and Inclusion

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Work proactively to make our societies more inclusive,
welcoming, peaceful, safe, and discrimination-free by
providing spaces and opportunities for all people to interact,build connections, and form meaningful relationships together.
Foster civic participation in policymaking, neighborhood
planning, and city governance to ensure all citizens arerepresented in decision-making processes. It is particularly
important to improve the civic participation of women, given that
their under-representation has profound implications for society.
Ensure that cities have the funding and power to secure accessto safe, genuinely affordable housing near community services
including clean, efﬁcient and comfortable public transportation,
education, and healthcare, in diverse, culturally-vibrantneighborhoods where new and long-established residents canlive together as neighbors.

COMMUNIQUÉ FROM URBAN 20 (U20)12OCTOBER 2018 • 5Support the social integration of migrants and refugees, byhelping them overcome speciﬁc barriers to participation andinclusion, such as pathways to citizenship and residency rights.
Additionally, implement violence prevention programs toprotect the safety of minority groups and all individuals victimof discrimination or hate crimes.

Develop a Safe and Sustainable Food Future131415Address food security, particularly in a rapidly urbanizing
world, in order to ensure the access, availability, stability, andutilization of food to overcome challenges such as childhoodobesity/undernutrition, and “food deserts” in urbanneighborhoods.
Ensure that sustainable production, distribution, retail, andconsumption patterns are supported throughout urban-rural
food systems to provide citizens with adequate resources tomake sustainable and healthy consumption choices.
Improve access to quality food supply, facilitate recovery andredistribution channels for surplus food and further implement
the “3Rs” – reusing, reducing and recycling food.

Enable Wider Access to Finance for Infrastructure

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Collaborate with cities to improve access to bilateral,multilateral and private sources of capital to implement
sustainable infrastructure projects. In some instances, these
are among cities’ biggest challenges due to high costs,
potential ﬁnancing gaps, regulatory obstacles, and governancechallenges.
Simpler and more direct access to ﬁnancing should beaccompanied by joint efforts to strengthen good governanceand promote transparent, participatory, and research-basedplanning processes that advocate for solutions to meet citizens’
needs and expectations.

Our perspectives and recommendations can help to address
the most urgent global challenges. We thank the Argentine
Presidency for the support given to our initiative. We further
thank the City of Buenos Aires for facilitating the inaugural
year of Urban 20 and successfully hosting the First U20Mayors Summit. The U20 Communiqué is shared with theG20 Presidency as a result of the leadership of the City ofBuenos Aires. We will build on this legacy and continue
to strengthen synergies between global diplomacy andurban communities when we meet again in Tokyo, under
the Japanese Presidency of the G20 in 2019.

Endorsed by the following U20 mayors:
Mayor Chen Jining, City of Beijing
Mayor Michael Müller, City of Berlin
Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, City of Buenos Aires
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, City of Chicago
Mayor Zandile Gumede, City of Durban
Mayor Peter Tschentscher, City of Hamburg
Mayor Sylvester Houston, City of Houston
Governor Anies Baswedan, City of Jakarta
Mayor Herman Mashaba, City of Johannesburg
Mayor Sadiq Khan, City of London
Mayor Eric Garcetti, City of Los Angeles
Mayor Manuela Carmena, City of Madrid
Mayor José Ramón Amieva, Mexico City
Mayor Giuseppe Sala, City of Milan
Mayor Valerie Plante, City of Montreal
Mayor Bill de Blasio, City of New York
Mayor Anne Hidalgo, City of Paris
Mayor Marcelo Crivella, City of Rio de Janeiro
Mayor Virginia Raggi, City of RomaMayor Bruno Covas, City of São Paulo
Mayor Park Won-soon, City of Seoul
Governor Yuriko Koike, City of Tokyo
Mayor Solly Msimanga, City of Tshwane
Mayor Clover Moore, City of Sydney
And by the following U20 observer mayors:
Mayor Yousef Shawarbeh, City of Amman
Mayor Femke Halsema, City of Amsterdam
Mayor Mike Rawlings, City of Dallas
Mayor Sami Kanaan, City of Geneva
Mayor Jan Vapaavuori, City of Helsinki
Mayor Nor Hisham, City of Kuala Lumpur
Mayor Daniel Martinez, City of Montevideo
Mayor Ted Wheeler, City of Portland
Mayor Mauricio Rodas, City of Quito
Mayor Ron Huldai, City of Tel Aviv