FINAL JOINT STATEMENT FROM THE G7 U7 URBAN SUMMIT
We, as Leaders and Mayors of cities across the G7 nations – the ‘Urban 7’ – have come together for
the first time, as the G7 national leadership prepares to meet.
Our historic Summit takes place at a moment of extreme challenge resulting from the COVID-19
pandemic, as well as multiple emergencies on climate, nature and social justice, when it has neverbeen more important for local and national governments across nations to work together. In doingso, we want to pay tribute to the outstanding efforts of workers on the front-line across all our cities
who have worked tirelessly to combat the pandemic.
We welcome the UK’s G7 Presidency priorities to build back better from Coronavirus by:••••leading the global recovery from coronavirus while strengthening resilience against futurepandemics;
promoting future prosperity by championing free and fair trade;tackling climate change and preserving the planet’s biodiversity; andchampioning shared values.

Our cities are, and will remain, major population and economic hubs, critical to driving regional,
national and global economies. They are centres of innovation, able to find new ways to adapt andthrive as we emerge from this pandemic. Cities therefore have a leading role in delivering a successful
sustainable and inclusive post-Covid future, in a mutually supportive relationship with towns, regions
and other places
We want to work with the G7 nations to accelerate their collective leadership, collaboration andsolidarity in tackling the pandemic. Yet many of the challenges faced are highly complex and rely on
joining up across issues of health, economy, bult environment and place-leadership which can only beaddressed at the local level.
Our aim in holding this Summit is to establish a local-level dialogue complementary to that of ournations, to support the aims of the G7 and build on the United Nations Sustainable Development
Goals, to improve health, economic and environmental resilience and wellbeing for all our citizens.
Cities have been hit hard by the pandemic, but are also the places most capable of driving recovery
and renewal, through greener, more inclusive economic growth.
Flows of trade and commerce are largely between cities globally. We can use and strengthen our links
to support solidarity, collaboration and trade among our nations.
The majority of carbon emissions globally are from cities. As we approach COP26 to be held this year
in the city of Glasgow, our cities are strengthening their commitments and accelerating actions todeliver a zero-carbon economy and 1.5°Centigrade compatible lifestyles well before 2050. We urge
the G7 nations to work with us, to demonstrate their leadership, enhancing the ambitions in National
Climate Action Plans which can only be delivered through multilevel collaboration, and to honour thecommitments of the United Nations Paris Agreement on climate change.
As globally-facing cities we all share common values of openness, tolerance and the need to address
health inequality and sustainability. By continuing our shared dialogue, we can learn from each otherand find new ways to turn these values into action.
We therefore ask our nations to work with us collectively through the following four actions.

1. Set out a clear vision for cities in national plans, recognising their importance to national
economic and social wellbeing, and responding to climate and biodiversity emergencies.
2. Draw on the experience of cities in decision making as well as policy making recognising theirrole as delivery bodies across a wide range of essential services.
3. Provide the appropriate resources, policy environments and flexibilities for cities to support
sustainable and inclusive recovery from the pandemic, including the development ofinnovative financing mechanisms.
4. Incorporate and support city-to-city dialogue as a complementary process to future G7
activity, including with cities in the most vulnerable countries, to enhance global solidarity andcollaboration