Elevating local
leaders' voices
G7 Urban7
The G7 Urban7 process (U7) advocates for a continuous dialogue between the G7 nations and municipal actors represented by national associations and supported by international city networks. It addresses the German G7 Presidency in 2022 and is moved forward, also beyond this year, by a strong urban alliance, which comprises the Association of German Cities (Deutscher Städtetag), the Global Parliament of Mayors (GPM) and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. U7’s long-term goal is to be recognised as an official G7 Engagement Group.
“We acknowledge the significant role of cities, their associations, and networks as actors in our transformation towards sustainable development. We commit to foster exchange among and with cities.”
G7 Leaders’ Communiqué
28 June 2022
G7 leaders met in Elmau (Germany) for the G7 Summit on 26-28 June 2022. In an exceptional sign of recognition of the vast potential and ongoing impact of local leaders, G7 leaders acknowledged the importance of cities, their networks and associations in their Communiqué. They pointed to the crucial role cities will play in achieving, among others, climate neutrality and democratic values.
References to cities, urbanisation and multilevel action at G7 Ministerial Communiqué in May 2022
G7 Urban Development Ministers’ Communiqué (13 September 2022)
U7 Mayors Summit
"Embracing the Urban World: Cities as Drivers of Change for Peace, Democracy and Sustainability"
2022 U7 Mayors Declaration
The 2022 U7 Mayors Declaration is also available in French, German, Italian and Japanese.
Cities' voices
U7: why do cities – and citizens – need it?
"Cities are at the forefront when solutions to global challenges are needed. We stand up for freedom, democracy and human rights. We join forces in international networks and cooperation on implementing climate and sustainability goals. The German G7 Presidency has recognized the transformative power of cities. It is time that the urban perspective is permanently taken into consideration. The Urban 7 are ready to make their contribution."
Markus Lewe, Mayor of the City of Münster (Germany) and President of the Association of German Cities
Feeding into G7 negotiations
"The cities that have joined together in the Urban7 Group are ready to actively support the G7 Presidency. We will work hard to bring the urban perspective into the work of the Presidency. Cities are a crucial policy level for addressing the challenges of our time. Cities are also the critical policy level for effective implementation of the UN's 2030 Agenda. In early May, 2022, the representatives of the cities of the G7 will gather at an Urban Summit and adopt the declaration of the Urban7 Group."
Peter Kurz, Mayor of Mannheim (Germany), Chair of the Global Parliament of Mayors and G7 special envoy of the Association of German Cities
Tight schedule for ambitious goals
"It was my great honour to host the first U7 gathering of eminent colleagues representing many great international cities and their networks. As Germany takes up the G7 Presidency, I look forward to working with the Association of German Cities as the G7 U7 lead and host in 2022, as well as our other project partners. The year ahead will be a challenging one. Building quickly on COP26 to deliver Net Zero in a fair and equitable manner, and our need to address economic recovery from Covid19 whilst continuing to deal with its ongoing impacts, will mean that cities and nations must collaborate like never before. This holds true within but also between nations, bringing a heightened importance to our U7 initiative, ensuring that our work together enriches the G7 dialogue whilst resulting in practical action on the ground in our cities."
Councillor Nick Forbes, Chair of Core Cities UK and Leader of Newcastle City Council (United Kingdom)
Upscaling local governments' advocacy
"For decades, the sustainability and urban community have long been asking for active leadership of G7 countries for ambitious action, pursuant to their historical responsibility as well as technical and financial capabilities. ICLEI welcomes the unprecedented acknowledgement of the importance of cities and sustainable urbanization by the 2022 G7 German Presidency as a game changer to accelerate multilevel action in the age of climate emergency globally. Thus, following the successful launch in 2021, the evolution of the Urban7 community into a more systematic engagement mechanism comes at a perfect timing and with a strong potential. ICLEI is proud to collaborate with Association of German Cities and Global Parliament of Mayors as well as partnering German institutions to actively support these efforts and ensure synergy with other global sustainability advocacy of local and regional governments, building on its engagement in the G7 process since 2016."
Frank Cownie, Mayor of Des Moines (USA), and president of ICLEI's Global Executive Committee
Chronology of G7 advocacy of local governments
2016 The G7 Toyama Environment Ministers' Meeting was held in Toyama City, Japan. It was accompanied by the G7 Toyama Environment Ministers' Meeting Parallel Session on 'The Role of Cities'. The Communiqué of the meeting laid the groundwork for the U7 process.
2017 As part of UNFCCC COP23 in Bonn, Germany, cities and regions adopted the 'Bonn-Fiji Commitment' on climate action.
2021 Ahead of the G7 summit in Cornwall, UK, the first G7 U7 conference was held there. Its final statement sent a clear message to the G7 nations that mayors and leaders invite them to work collectively on shared challenges.
2022 At the U7 Mayors Summit, Mayors adopted a powerful declaration that presents cities’ demands and commitments toward the G7 Presidency. This appeal was reinforced during a dedicated session at the World Urban Summit. The Communiqué of the G7 Summit included an exceptional sign of recognition of the importance of cities, their networks and associations.
2022 G7 Urban7 Group Alliance:
In collaboration with:
Supported by:
