ICLEI together with G7 Urban 7 (U7) partners initiated cooperation and consultations with representatives from different French ministries on priority topics for G7 countries in view of the upcoming G7 presidency of France in 2026. U7 secretariat partners ICLEI and the Global Parliament of Mayors reiterated their readiness to actively support G7 Ministers in defining “concrete actions to reduce spatial inequalities, protect the environment and climate, and promote smart and innovative economies in urban areas'' as prioritised by the G7 Heads of States in the Apulia Communique at the G7 Summit in Apulia in June 2024.

“Every national, as well as international policy initiative will ultimately be implemented on the local level, in our towns, cities and regions” says Wolfgang Teubner, Regional Director at ICLEI - Local Governments of Sustainability, a partner in the U7 secretariat. “For this reason, it is critical that we give more importance to the urban development perspective when designing future cooperation and international strategies and U7 stands ready to support G7 Urbanisation Ministers in this regard”.

The U7 partners have been working towards streamlining urban matters and local perspectives across G7 cooperation topics and fora with previous G7 presidencies. As highlighted in the 2023 U7 Mayors Declaration, a multilevel approach is a prerequisite for achieving a prosperous, equitable, environmentally and socially sustainable transition in a rapidly urbanising society. On this note, U7 partners discussed support for recognising the U7 as an official engagement group in the G7 process, as well as the upcoming ministerial meeting on Urban Sustainable Development in November in Genoa (Italy) with French partners, as a key opportunity for G7 countries to deliver on their commitments toward multilevel cooperation.

The Group of Seven (G7) is an informal forum that brings together Italy, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. The European Union also participates in the Group.

Since its launch in 2021 by Core Cities UK, the U7 advocates for a continuous dialogue between the G7 nations and municipal actors represented by national associations and supported by international city networks ICLEI and the Global Parliament of Mayors. More information about the U7 can be found here.