The 13th Metropolis World Congress kicked off in a hybrid format on the evening of November 9th in Guangzhou, which represents the start of the 2021 Global Mayors’ Forum serial events.

This is the first time for a Chinese city to hold the Metropolis World Congress which is the highest-level international meeting of Metropolis. 83 representatives of 83 member cities participated in the meeting.

Wen Guohui, President of Metropolis and Mayor of Guangzhou, said Metropolis is an important platform for communication and resource sharing between world cities. Guangzhou has been proactively pushing forward cooperation with its global partners to achieve the sustainable development goals set up by the United Nations since the city was elected as the president city in 2020.

Wen Guohui highlighted four key work issues towards building a better future for all, which included joining hands to combat the Covid-19 pandemic with the WHO, production and distribution chain cooperation as well as digitalization and green development.

The meeting was also hosted by Octavi de la Varga, Secretary General of Metropolis and Emilia Saiz, Secretary General of the World Organization of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG).

Octavi de la Varga said Guangzhou has created a true community of exchange of experiences through the Guangzhou Award. It serves as an inspiration in all parts of the world towards more sustainable territories.

He also introduced a painting competition organized by Metropolis and stressed the importance of involving the voices of children and young people in urban development.

The 2021 Global Mayors’ Forum serial events will last six days from November 8 to 13 and shed light into metropolises and cities in transformation through diverse activities. As of November 7, more than 800 guests from home and abroad have confirmed participation. They are from 126 cities of 80 countries and 9 international organizations.

Author | Jasmine