The G7 Sustainable Urban Development Ministers’ Meeting in Takamatsu, Kagawa
The G7 Kagawa-Takamatsu Sustainable Urban Development Ministers’ Meeting will be held from 7 to 9 July 2023. Kobe Mayor Kizo Hisamoto is scheduled to attend this meeting, presenting the Urban7 (U7), an official observer and Chair of Japan Designated Cities Mayors Association (JDCMA). As well as reaffirming basic principles such as the pursuit of sustainability and public-private partnerships, it is expected that the use of digital technologies to achieve carbon neutrality, ensure resilience and solve urban challenges will also be discussed.
Towards the G7 Kagawa-Takamatsu Urban Development Ministers’ Meeting, ICLEI has supported the activities of Urban7 (U7) as a secretariat to ensure that the voices of local governments are reflected in the outcome document of the Ministerial Meeting. In addition to the Urban7 (U7), UN-HABITAT and the OECD are registered as official observers of the Sustainable Urban Development Ministers’ Meeting.
Global achievements and the initiatives of ICLEI members have been highlighted in White Paper on the Environment and other publications
On 9 June 2022, the Ministry of the Environment published the 2023 White Paper on the Environment, the Material-Cycle Society and Biodiversity. The white paper addresses issues such as global environmental degradation and its impact on the economy and society, as well as the results of international meetings such as UNFCCC-COP27, CBD-COP15 and the G7 Ministers’ Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment in Sapporo. There is also a focus on local SDGs, with reference to interconnectedness, regional circular symbiosis zones and lifestyle shifts to achieve the simultaneous achievement of carbon neutrality, circular economy and nature revitalisation.
It also mentions the invlovement of ICLEI member municipalities in the Renewable Energy 100 Declaration RE Action, the List of Environmental Model Cities and the List of Environmental Future Cities, as well as the collaboration between local governments, and the organisation of the Zero Carbon City International Forum 2023.
Meanwhile, the Nikkei Glocal, a magazine specialising in local development and regional management, conducted its Third Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Progress Survey of 815 cities and wards in Japan, and found that among ICLEI Japan member municipalities, Saitama City (1st), Toyota City (2nd), Kyoto City (4th), Kitakyushu City (5th), Itabashi Ward (8th) and Kobe City (10th) made the top ten. Four of these local governments have been selected as SDG Future Cities, highlighting the presence of ICLEI member municipalities.
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