Ahmedabad hosts G20 meet on urban development, climate finance

Ahmedabad is hosting a two-day meet under the aegis of the G20 to find common ground among cities on pressing issues like water security, climate finance, local identity, affordable housing, social inclusion, sustainable mobility, urban planning and digitalisation of urban amenities.

The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation are organising the meeting that has brought together representatives of 30 cities to discuss sustainable development. The participants are also looking at ways to enhance cooperation between cities and national governments.

Mayor of Ahmedabad, Kiritkumar J Parmar said: “The strength of the Urban-20 lies in its ability to bring together city leaders from all corners of the world to discuss and champion issues that transcend national boundaries”.

Urban-20, one of the engagement groups of G20, is a platform for cities from G20 countries to hold discussions on urban development and infrastructure. The leaders of cities from across the G20 spectrum plan to find solutions to make cities sustainable.

In a statement, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said: “As U20, it is important to deliberate on building cities of tomorrow while preserving cultural heritage, promoting lifestyle for the environment (LiFE), accelerating the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, and working towards building resilient, inclusive and sustainable futures.”

Why cities are important for human growth and development is that more and more people are gravitating to cities in search of work, education and livelihoods. Many are shifting to cities also because of frequent natural disasters in rural areas.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says that almost 40 per cent of the Indian population will be living in urban centres by the end of this decade. Cities are believed to be among the most vulnerable to climate change impacts, natural disasters, floods, heat waves, environmental degradation, and a poor quality of life.

Mark Watts, Executive Director of C40 Cities said: “Collaboration is a particular strength of cities which understand the value of multilateralism, especially today. Urban 20 is an opportunity for city leaders to showcase urban leadership globally and show G20 leaders that they can support, invest and work with cities to address the multiple environmental, social and economic crises of the day.”

During the course of the year Ahmedabad will organise the U20 Mayors Summit which will present joint recommendations to the Government of India before the G20 Leaders’ Summit takes place in New Delhi on 9–10 September 2023.

This is the third G20 event to be held in Gujarat as part of India’s presidency of the G20.

Also Read: Climate change could force migration of 216 million people: World Bank