- U20 sets the scene for multilateral cooperation ahead of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg and COP30 in Belém.
- Governors and Mayors issue an urgent call for climate action and funding to cities
- Cities advocate for inclusive just transition plans, ensuring the most vulnerable are not left behind
Johannesburg, South Africa – Leaders from twenty global cities, including Ahmedabad, Freetown, Accra, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam, will gather in Johannesburg this week for the first-ever Urban 20 (U20) summit to be held in Africa. The summit will showcase how local governments are driving inclusive and impactful solutions to global challenges, with African cities taking the centre stage in climate leadership.
U20, which provides recommendations to the G20 Summit at the end of November, is being co-hosted this year by Johannesburg and Tshwane and is convened by C40 Cities and the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG). The summit follows the U20 Sherpa Meeting in Tshwane from 12-13 June 2025, where 27 cities from G20 countries around the world collectively discussed their joint priorities.
Cities will showcase how local leadership is leading the world in delivering an equitable and resilient urban green transition. C40 will host a session on 12 September on Advancing a Just Transition in Cities and on 13 September, will collaborate with UCLG to host two sessions on Navigating Financial Challenges and Innovative Funding Solutions for Local Governments, and Governance and Informality through Equitable Climate Action and Public Service Provision.
A significant focus of the discussions will be on ensuring green urban development is carried out in an inclusive, fair, and equitable way, with cities advocating for increased financing for these efforts. A recent study by the Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance on the state of cities’ climate finance found that African cities receive less than 4% of the funding they require for this work. Cities have outlined practical steps to close this funding gap and urged national governments to incorporate urban climate priorities into their budgets. This call is reinforced by an open letter, signed by over 40 African mayors and governors, which emphasises the critical need to transform African cities with sustainable and equitable development. The letter is directed at African Ministers of Finance, urging them to unlock access to direct climate finance.
Beyond finance, mayors are pushing for a new model of multilevel collaboration that protects labour rights, supports workers affected by the transition, and creates decent, green jobs, ensuring a future where climate resilience and social justice go hand-in-hand.
At the close of the summit, a ‘U20 Communique to the G20’ signed by mayors and city leaders from across the world will be handed over to the South African G20 Presidency, with recommendations centred on the most urgent priorities for U20 member cities that emerged during this year’s discussions, including:
- Strengthening and defending multilateral collaboration with cities as essential partners.
- Enhancing multilevel governance on climate change and our other shared global challenges to deliver accelerated results.
- Empowering cities to access scaled-up finance for their action in crucial areas, including climate, affordable housing, and local public services.
The U20 platform is a vital force for strengthening multilevel cooperation on global challenges and amplifying the voice of cities, leading the charge on a just transition. The momentum generated by this summit will also place cities at the centre of global climate negotiations, building a powerful foundation for meaningful action ahead of the 2025 C40 World Mayors Summit in Rio and the decisive COP30 in Belém.
Executive Mayor of Johannesburg, Dada Morero, said:
“Cities are not the margins of global governance. The future of the G20 will be decided in the streets, homes, and communities of our cities.
Hosting the U20 Mayors Summit in Johannesburg is not about prestige; it is about possibility. Here, local challenges meet global solutions, and our City becomes the bridge between lived realities and global commitments.
Johannesburg is not simply a host, Johannesburg is a messenger for the cities of the global south, carrying forward their struggles and their solutions to the table of the G20”.
Executive Mayor of Tshwane, Nasiphi Moya, said:
“As the administrative capital of South Africa, Tshwane is proud to add its voice to the global chorus of cities at the U20 Summit. Our city embodies both the immense potential and the acute challenges of urban Africa. From our journey towards a smarter, greener Tshwane to managing the realities of rapid urbanisation, we understand that the local actions we take have a global impact. The U20 is not a distant talking shop; it is the essential arena where this local-global connection is forged.
Our experience hosting the Sherpa Meeting in June was a powerful testament to this. It crystallised a stark injustice: while cities like ours are engines of national economies and on the front line of the climate crisis, we are stifled by a critical lack of investment. For African cities to receive less than 4% of the required climate finance is not a gap—it is a chasm holding our entire continent back. That is why Tshwane stands firmly with over forty African mayors in our urgent call to the continent’s Ministers of Finance: we must unlock direct access to climate funding. Empowering cities is the most direct route to achieving national climate goals”.
Mayor of Freetown and Co-Chair of C40 Cities, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE, said:
“Cities are the engines of an inclusive, urban transition, delivering climate action that creates jobs, builds resilience, and boosts inclusion for all, especially for young people in Africa. In C40 African cities, over 2.2 million green jobs make up nearly 12% of total formal employment. Backed by our cities’ technical and practical expertise, African cities are leading the charge on urban climate action, and the U20 summit is where we will showcase how this experience can drive global solutions.”
C40 Cities Executive Director, Mark Watts, said: “In a moment marked by slowing climate progress and geopolitical tensions, the united front shown by city leaders at U20 sends a crucial message of multilateralism and collaboration. By presenting a common agenda to the G20, these leaders create a powerful foundation that will be carried forward towards COP30 in Belém. Cities, with their focus on effective action and tangible, socially just solutions, are more central to global climate action than ever.”
UCLG Secretary-General, Emilia Saiz, said:
“In times of challenges to the multilateral system, the U20 in Johannesburg demonstrates how local multilateralism can become the space for global engagement. A space built around local realities, care, and social equity. Through this platform, local and regional leaders are shaping global social priorities, showing that inclusive public services, housing, human mobility, and development are central to resilient and just societies. As we engage with national and international partners, the U20 is proving that cities are not just participants but key architects of a global agenda grounded in solidarity and people-centred governance.”