The city of Ahmedabad hosted the inception meeting of the sixth edition of Urban 20 (U20), an engagement group under the Global 20 (G20) forum on 9th and 10th of February, 2023. Resonating with India’s G20 theme of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, U20 Ahmedabad has emphasised that actions at the city level can drive lasting positive global outcomes underscoring the interconnectedness of the world and our shared future. Over 100 delegates representing more than 40 cities and 30 partner institutions attended the event, which focused on drafting a roadmap for global change that will be driven by cities by minimising the gaps between policy and practice at all levels of governance.

ICLEI South Asia provided on-ground technical support to the city of Ahmedabad as one of the technical and knowledge partners, including coordination for necessary preparations for the U20 event, supported for active participation by cities,  and coordination between the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, Government of India’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of Gujarat, the National Institute of Urban Affairs and the U20 conveners for smoother execution of the event.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Mr Emani Kumar, Deputy Secretary General of ICLEI and Executive Director of ICLEI South Asia congratulated the city of Ahmedabad for showing leadership on urban issues and for its initiatives in the sectors of transportation, waste management, housing, water supply, and riverfront development. He said that ICLEI South Asia has been supporting Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation for over a decade for climate-resilient development-related work. “We supported the city to come out with a Greenhouse Gas emissions inventory, which was released by the hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat last year. Currently, we are assisting the city with the development of its Climate Resilient City Action Plan, which is expected to be released this year.”