Saitama City hosts event, ‘E-KIZUNA high-level talks’ at COP 29
Group Picture 
Presentation by the Mayor of Saitama City 
Moderated by Togo Uchida, Executive Director of ICLEI Japan On 12 November, the ‘E-KIZUNA High-Level Talks’, organized by Saitama City, was held at the Multilevel Action and Urbanization Pavilion at the COP29 venue in Azerbaijan. The event focused on the role of Urban 7 (U7), a coalition of cities from the G7 countries, and ICLEI Japan was involved in the planning and organization of the event.
In addition to event organizer Hayato Shimizu, Mayor of Saitama City, Japan, the speakers included Alessandro Ghinelli, Mayor of Arezzo, Italy, representing the U7 under the Italian G7 presidency; Vincent Chauvet, Mayor of Autun, France; Melissa Logan, Mayor of Blytheville, Arkansas, USA; Anita Schneider, Regional Chair of Giessen, Germany; Edward Webber, Deputy Director of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Government of the United Kingdom, and KazuhikoTakemoto, Chair of ICLEI Japan.
Mayor Shimizu said at the event, “The role of cities is crucial, and with strong partnerships, we can build a sustainable future. The title of the Japanese word ‘KIZUNA’ actually refers to multilevel collaboration, and we, Saitama City will strengthen its U7 efforts and work closely with the G7, Canada’s 2025 presidency, and beyond.”
The moderator, Togo Uchida, Executive Director of ICLEI Japan, explained that mechanisms outside the United Nations system – such as the G7 and G20 – are more flexible in terms of diplomatic procedures and help countries to understand areas for partnership and alignment. ICLEI is actively involved in these processes to support multilevel dialogue and collaboration.
From November 3-4, 2024, G7 Sustainable Urban Development Ministers met in Rome. A key outcome was a recommendation to recognize the U7 as an official G7 engagement group.
The key message at this event further promotes the city’s future contribution to global issues such as climate action and sustainable urban development.
This article was originally published by ICLEI World Secretariat and adapted by ICLEI Europe.
