2023 U7 Mayors Declaration

2023 U7 Mayors Declaration
Delivering Peace, Democracy and Sustainability in the Urban World
Through Sustainable Cities, Urbanization and Multilevel Cooperation
Introduction
The world in 2023 is facing the escalation of multiple crises. A year after the start ofRussia’s war in Ukraine, the impacts of the conflict can be felt around the world. Steep
increases in energy and food prices affect people globally. Peace and democracy arechallenged through aggression and rising threats of nuclear weapons in our cities, whichshould never be experienced again.
From the global climate emergency to biodiversity loss, our human activities are
drastically changing the earth environment and the consequences can be felt in every
corner of the globe.
At the same time, in an increasingly urbanizing world, cities have the potential to
implement innovative urban development approaches and create tangible improvements
and sustainable living environments for their inhabitants. However, in order to do so, theyrequire enabling framework conditions.
Therefore, we, Mayors and leaders of the Urban7 (U7) Group, gathered through thenetworks of local governments of G7 nations and the European Union, applaud the G7’s
unprecedented recognition of the Urban7, cities, sustainable urban development andmultilevel governance under Germany’s G7 Presidency in 2022. We welcome the specificreferences in the 2022 G7 Leaders’ Communiqué, as well as the ministers' communiqués
and statements on Urban Development, Climate and Environment, Development
Cooperation and Foreign Affairs.
We look forward to elevating these achievements during the 2023 Japanese G7 Presidency,
recognizing the legacy of the first Environment Ministers and Mayors Forum during the2016 Japanese G7 Presidency. We also recognize that decentralization, decarbonizationand circularity are building blocks of the Japanese approach to sustainability. We warmly
welcome the continuation of the G7 Sustainable Urban Development Ministers Meeting,which will be convened for the second time under the 2023 Japanese G7 Presidency. We
welcome the Japanese Government indicating “peace” as one of the focus messages forthe 2023 G7 Presidency. We remain committed to formulating our contributions to all theG7 agenda as an active engagement partner throughout the year.
We, Mayors and leaders of the U7 Group share our deepest and sincere condolences tothe people and local governments of Türkiye and Syria, dealing with the earthquakes on 62023 U7 Group is chaired by Japan Designated City Mayors Association(JDCMA), supported by ICLEI and GPM as the U7 Secretariat.
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February 2023, resulting in unprecedented scale of loss of human lives, and extensive
damage to housing, public infrastructure, roads and communication networks.
We, Mayors and leaders of the U7 Group, in anticipation of the priorities of the Japanese
G7 Presidency, define the 2023 priorities of the U7 Group as follows:
1- Local governments as custodians of peace and democracy
2- Sustainable urban development as the engine for achieving the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) and facing the global climate emergency
3- Role of cities in disaster preparedness, response and resilience
4- Engaging the U7 Group as an emerging actor in multilevel governance and urban
diplomacy
1. Local governments as custodians of peace and democracy
We, the local governments of the G7 members, share common values, including respect
for fundamental human rights, the rule of law, democracy and freedom of expression. Inline with the Global Declaration of Mayors for Democracy, we recognize that cities “standas a bulwark against the erosion of the rule of law.” Cities play a crucial role in fighting
corruption, populism, and human rights abuses. We also facilitate the democratic
participation of our residents. We recognize gender equality and women’s empowerment,
youth empowerment and intergenerational justice as necessary foundations for a peaceful,prosperous, and sustainable world.
We, the cities, firmly believe that peace is necessary for a sustainable world and local
governments have a crucial role to nurture the culture of peace among citizens. Russia's
war on Ukraine has caused serious hardship and tragic human suffering for innocent
Ukrainian citizens, as well as the urban poor and vulnerable communities around the world,in particular in the Global South. Local governments have a vital role to play in protecting
socially vulnerable groups and providing shelter to those displaced as consequence of wars
and conflicts, especially children, youth and women.
Ø The U7 Group calls the G7 to:
1. Acknowledge our role as champions of peace and builders of democracy.
2. Work as partners with cities in the planning for sustainable reconstruction of theurban infrastructure and civil society in Ukraine.
3. Facilitate access to public and private funding streams for sustainable, inclusive,and climate-resilient urban development in Ukraine.
4. To mobilize all their diplomatic efforts to achieve "a world without nuclearweapons", as recognized at the UN General Assembly in October 2022.
2. Sustainable urban development as the engine for achieving the Sustainable
2023 U7 Group is chaired by Japan Designated City Mayors Association(JDCMA), supported by ICLEI and GPM as the U7 Secretariat.
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Development Goals (SDGs) and facing the global climate emergency
We reaffirm that we will continue to transform our cities through integrated urban
development processes based on participatory, multilevel and place-based approaches.
From core infrastructure to water and wastewater to transit and recreation, cities aredriving solutions that will help deliver on our SDGs. We continue to encourage more local
and regional governments to actively work toward achieving the SDGs. We, the cities, will
work actively to ensure the provision and maintenance of public services essential forsustainable development.
Good urban development policy is key to maintaining and creating safe, vibrant,sustainable, and livable cities. It is necessary to establish peaceful coexistence, moresustainable living and economies, mitigation of and adaptation to climate change, better
mobility and connectivity, and shaping digitalization.
Ø The U7 Group calls the G7 to:
1. Recognize the role of local governments in the implementation of the sustainability
agenda and embed them in the post-SDG agenda. We invite G7 Leaders tocollaborate with the U7 Group and actively engage at the SDG Summit and UN
Climate Action Summit in September 2023 in order to launch global initiatives for
multilevel action to support, advance and deliver SDGs and transform into climate
emergency mode of action, to be designed as an input to 2024 UN Summit of theFuture.
2. Exchange regularly on these topics beyond the G7 Sustainable Urban Development
Ministers Meeting, at fora such as the G20 and Second UN Habitat Assembly.
3. Strengthen local self-governance to provide the legal and fiscal frameworks that
support and address the local needs and realities of local governments and toencourage greater procedures and processes of multilevel governance.
4. Enhance access of local and regional governments to global and national financeincluding through increasing collaboration with the private sector, as well as multilateral development banks (MDBs).
5. Actively use information technology to promote the digitization and smartening of
public services to underpin the delivery and maintenance of sustainable, quality
public services.
6. Establish financing mechanisms that are more flexible and responsive to placebased climate neutrality strategies and investment plans from local governmentswith a mid-to-long term perspective.
7. Engage local governments actively in the global stocktake of the Paris Agreement
towards and at COP28 in Dubai as an opportunity to embrace multilevel climate
2023 U7 Group is chaired by Japan Designated City Mayors Association(JDCMA), supported by ICLEI and GPM as the U7 Secretariat.
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action as the new normal in the 2nd Phase of the Paris Agreement and rapidly raise
ambitionsregardingNationally

Determined

Contributions

throughthetransformative power of sustainable urbanization.
8. Support the institutionalization of Ministerial Meetings on Urbanization andClimate at UNFCCC COPs regularly and endorse partnerships for multilevel action
such as the SURGe Initiative launched at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh.
9. Demonstrate leadership in operationalization of the funding arrangements and thefund for responding to loss and damage by engaging actively in the transitional
committee toward COP28.
10. Promote the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity to improve humanhealth and support biodiversity-friendly urban planning, and implement theKunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted at Biodiversity CBD
COP15, through collaborative action with local and regional governments, taking
into account its Target 12 on urban green space and its Plan of Action on
Subnational Governments, Cities and other Local Authorities for Biodiversity 20212030.
11. Highlight the role of local and regional governments and circular development in
the design of the new global plastics treaty.
3. Role of cities in disaster preparedness, response and resilience
As we have seen repeatedly through wars and natural disasters, municipal governments
have abundant know-how and human resources to deal with these crises, and we are readyto actively support recovery and reconstruction efforts. In recent years, the damage causedby disasters has been increasing in many parts of the world, nullifying all efforts on SDGs
and investing in disaster risk prevention is becoming as urgent as strengthening disaster
response. Close cooperation and coordination between the local, regional and national
levels is imperative to promote the establishment of sustainable local disastermanagement systems to prepare for increased disaster risk, as already enshrined in thelegacies of the UN conferences in Yokohama in 1994, in Kobe in 2005, and in Sendai in 2015.
Ø The U7 Group calls the G7 to:
1. Strengthen significantly international cooperation and provide sustained support tocountries, especially in the Global South, in coordination with local governments.
2. Support the prevention of new disaster risks and the reduction of existing disasterrisks in countries, especially in the Global South through international cooperation.
3. Prevent and reduce the creation of disaster risks through “Build Back Better”
strategies and increased education on and awareness of disaster risks during thepost-disaster recovery and reconstruction phases.

2023 U7 Group is chaired by Japan Designated City Mayors Association(JDCMA), supported by ICLEI and GPM as the U7 Secretariat.
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4. Devolve authority and financial resources to sites closer to the people in order tostrengthen the capacity of local governments and local communities to reduce
disaster risks.
4. Engaging the U7 Group as an emerging actor in multilevel governance and urban
diplomacy
Effective solutions for global challenges cannot be found without the active engagementof cities. This is why we call for a shift toward a true multilevel governance system where
local governments are a political level that develops and decides on policy programmingon an equal footing with our national counterparts through transferring necessary
authority and financial resources. In an increasingly urban world, urban diplomacy holds
considerable potential for achieving the goals of the G7 and the global multilateral system.
In this regard, we welcome the establishment of a Special Representative for Subnational
Diplomacy at the US Department of State as a good practice and encourage other G7
governments to consider similar efforts. We believe the U7 Group could further contributeto efforts of the G7 countries to face global challenges, if we are provided with enabling
framework conditions.
Ø The U7 Group commits to:
1- Institutionalize the U7’s vision towards regular engagement with G7 as a goodpractice in multilevel collaboration. The U7 Secretariat, ICLEI and the Global
Parliament of Mayors, will facilitate the integrity of the process whereas nationalassociations will lead annual engagement and direct city input.
2- Strengthen multi-stakeholder cooperation through collaborating with allengagement groups involved in the G7 process, as well as in the Global South.
The U7 Group proudly announces this 2023 U7 Mayors Declaration at 2023 U7 Mayors
Summit on 2 March 2023 as a powerful and pioneering contribution of local governments
to the work of G7 national governments and G7 engagement groups.

2023 U7 Group is chaired by Japan Designated City Mayors Association(JDCMA), supported by ICLEI and GPM as the U7 Secretariat.
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Announced at the 2023 U7 Mayors Summit in Tokyo, Japan on 2 March 2023 by;
U7 Group:Ø Canada: Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) – Taneen Rudyk, Councillor ofVegreville; FCM PresidentØ France: France Urbaine (Urban France) – Johanna Roland, Mayor of Nantes
Metropol; France Urbaine PresidentØ Germany: Deutscher Städtetag (Association of German Cities) – Markus Lewe, Mayorof Münster, DST President
Ø Italy: Associazione Nazionale Comuni Italiani (ANCI, National Association of Italian
Municipalities)
Ø Japan: Japan Designated City Mayors' Association (JDCMA) – HISAMOTO Kizo, Mayorof Kobe City; JDCMA PresidentØ UK: Core Cities UK – Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol; Core Cities Chair
Ø USA: The United States Conference of Mayors (USCOM) – Frank Cownie, Mayor ofDes Moines; USCOM Trustee Board Member; ICLEI President
Ø European Union: EUROCITIES – Dario Nardella, Mayor of Florence, Italy; EUROCITIESPresident
Network Partner:
Ø United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) – Berry Vrbanovic, Mayor of Kitchener,
Canada; UCLG Co-President
U7 Secretariat:
Ø ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) – Minna Arve, Mayor of Turku,Finland; ICLEI First Vice PresidentØ Global Parliament of Mayors (GPM) – Peter Kurz, Mayor of Mannheim, Germany;
GPM Chair

2023 U7 Group is chaired by Japan Designated City Mayors Association(JDCMA), supported by ICLEI and GPM as the U7 Secretariat.
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