Ahmedabad, Feb 10 (PTI) A two-day Urban20 City Sherpas’ meet, an engagement under India’s G20 presidency, concluded here on Friday, with the participants extending support to priority areas, including environment, water, urban governance and climate finance.
According to the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, the Urban20 (U20) meeting was attended by more than 200 participants from across the world.
This is the third of the G20 events being held in Gujarat as part of India’s Presidency of the Group of 20.
During the event, City Sherpa of Ahmedabad Praveen Chaudhary presented six priority areas — encouraging environmentally responsible behaviour; ensuring water security; accelerating climate finance; championing local identity; reinventing frameworks for urban governance and planning, and catalysing digital urban futures.
In a statement, the HUA ministry said delegates from various participating and observer cities deliberated on the priority areas proposed by the chair city Ahmedabad.
“The city sherpas expressed an overwhelming support for all the six priority areas and expressed solidarity in taking a collaborative agenda ahead,” it stated.
The chair city announced that the ‘Mayoral Summit’ where the final communique will be presented to the G20 leaders will be held from July 7-8.
Speaking at the U20 meeting on Thursday, India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said successful cities are fundamental to a successful nation, underlining that urbanisation must be an instrument of growth, job creation, and elimination of poverty.
Kant said cities must be designed for cycling, walking and not for cars, and they must grow and evolve on the bank of transit-oriented development.
On the last day of City Sherpas’ meeting of the sixth U20 cycle, around 40 delegates visited the World Heritage walled city of Ahmedabad, where a heritage walk was organised for them.
One of the engagement groups of G20, the U20 provides a platform for cities from G20 countries to facilitate discussions on key issues of urban development, such as climate change, social inclusion, sustainable mobility, and affordable housing, and propose collective solutions. PTI BUN RHL
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