The first SDGs Leadership Cities Gathering was a convening of senior government officials from 14 vanguard cities in the field of ocalizing the SDGs, and it was held from April 3-6 at the Rockefeller Bellagio Center, Italy hosted by the Brookings Institution. Executive Officer Makoto Sekiyama represented Yokohama City at the meeting and shared the city’s experiences and initiatives in promoting SDGs both in Yokohama and in emerging and/or developing Asian and African cities through partnerships with international organizations and private sectors. International technical cooperation based on public-private partnership through the utilization of Yokohama’s resources and technologies is one of its initiatives.
Promoting sustainable development in line with SDG objectives in emerging cities in Asia and Africa is critical for the achievement of SDGs worldwide. The United Nation estimates that urban population in the world will increase by 2.5 billion by 2050, and nearly 90% of the increase will be observed in Asia and Africa. In emerging countries in Asia, etc., urban development issues have occurred such as overpopulation, disorderly expansion of urban areas brought about by rapid urbanization, and deterioration of living and natural environments associated with the underdevelopment of infrastructure and housing. To solve these problems, Yokohama City has strengthened its promotion of international technical cooperation by taking advantage of its cultivated know-how of urban development and the environmental technologies that private enterprises in Yokohama possess. Yokohama City is also pursuing the SDGs through a combination of various initiatives such as developing an innovative ecosystem, increasing public awareness, and focusing on evidence-based policies.
The SDGs Leadership Cities Gathering meetings, hosted by the Brookings Institution are scheduled to continue annually for a couple of years. Yokohama City aspires to contribute to the achievement of SDGs worldwide by sharing the city’s experiences and learning from the best practices of member cities.
Member Cities：
New York, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Orland (U.S.A), Mexico City (Mexico), Madrid (Spain), Mannheim (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Bristol (UK), Durban (South Africa), Malmo (Sweden), Milan (Italy), Accra (Ghana), Yokohama (Japan),
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