The four-day Urban 20 (U20) Summit will address urban development themes faced by cities around the world. The three main themes of the meeting starting on Thursday are social inclusion, sustainable development and the energy transition, and global governance models. At the end of the summit, the members of the Urban 20 network will submit a joint communiqué to the representative of the current G20 president, Brazil.
The mayor will speak at two events at the network meeting: one related to the energy transition in cities and another discussing climate and biodiversity strategies for the urban environment. The mayor will also have several meetings with the mayors of various cities during the summit.
“It is an exceptional opportunity to be part of such a significant global city network as the only Nordic city. During the meeting, we will not only learn from other cities but also deepen Helsinki’s relationship with several major cities. Regardless of their size and continent, many cities are grappling with similar challenges that face Helsinki, so we can learn a lot from each other. While states keep arguing about climate policy, cities take action,” says Mayor Juhana Vartiainen.
Cities as players in international politics
At the Urban 20 network meeting, mayors and other key network leaders from around the world will deepen their relationships and exchange information about various themes of urban development.
Helsinki has participated in the Urban 20 network established by G20 cities as an observer since 2018 and as a member since 2021. The U20 network was established in 2017 at the initiative of the mayors of Paris and Buenos Aires in collaboration with the C40 climate network and the UCLG (United Cities and Local Governments) network.
The aim of the network is to put global themes important to cities on the agenda of the G20, a group of key countries in the world. One reason behind the establishment of the network was the growing importance of cities as players in international politics.
