The exciting news for South Africa is that the Urban20 (U20) Summit is coming to town in 2025, and it is going to be co-chaired by the two Gauteng metros of Tshwane and Joburg.
Mayor of Tshwane, Nasiphi Moya, shared the news after attending the U20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where the declaration for co-hosting and co-chairing rights was confirmed on November 17.
The U20 is all about city diplomacy, bringing together cities from G20 member states to tackle global economic, climate change, and development issues.
Moya described sharing the co-hosting rights with Joburg as an honour for Tshwane which seeks to improve on its commitment to urban sustainability and inclusivity.
The Rio de Janeiro summit, she said, convened delegates from more than 30 cities across the world to promote urban sustainable development and ensure that local issues are prioritised during G20 talks among heads of state.
“At this year’s summit, myself and the Executive Mayor of Johannesburg, Dada Morero, accepted the chairship for the 2025 U20 cycle and gathering. This will see the two cities co-hosting mayors from around the world to discuss key global policy issues impacting communities, as well as practical solutions,” she said.
The 2025 U20, she said, will serve as a platform where vertical integration between different spheres of government will be showcased.
“It is worth mentioning that this is the first time in history that the summit will be held in South Africa, and we are grateful to the U20 conveners for placing their confidence in both cities to lead this initiative,” she said.
She expressed gratitude to the U20 conveners for trusting Tshwane and Joburg to lead this initiative.
With work already under way, she said, the cities are gearing up to host a successful summit.
“We look forward to welcoming our counterparts as we unite to align global climate goals with local action,” she said.
Last year, Tshwane participated in the U20 mayoral summit hosted by the City of Ahmedabad in India, where Tshwane outlined its strategic priority to maintain a clean and protected natural environment through robust programmes as guided by its climate action plan to build climate-resilient city actions.
Pretoria News