One Earth — One family — One Future
Mayor Cleveland and CAO, Tracey Vaughan have been invited to join urban centres representing the Group of 20 countries at the upcoming Urban20 forum.
The Urban20 (U20) brings together mayors from G20 cities under a common framework and coordinates a joint position to inform the discussions and negotiations of national leaders. Contributions from the U20 are shared with the G20 Presidency and Heads of State, enhancing the role of cities as global economic and political leaders. The international collaboration of cities allows the opportunity to propose joint solutions to enhance climate action and sustainable economic development by presenting a communique which leverages existing G20 policy recommendations and international frameworks as well as recommendations from cities. (www.urban20.org)
“The opportunity to participate in the critical discussions that will take place at the Urban20 is a substantial advantage for our community in a number of ways,” says Mayor Lucas Cleveland. “During these conversations, we will learn of the challenges faced by urban centres around the world as well as the solutions that have been introduced to meet them. More so, it is an opportunity for us to share, on a global level, the advancements Cobourg has made towards environmental sustainability, opening ourselves to further partnerships and investments.”
The Town of Cobourg was recognized for its initiatives in Environmental Sustainability and Equity Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) at a recent diplomatic mission through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Earlier in June, CAO, Tracey Vaughan and Director of Legislative Services, Brent Larmer joined the city of Kitchener on a mission to Sri Lanka for the Partnerships for Municipal Innovation – Women in Local Leadership project. The program is aimed to enhance the rights for women and girls in Benin, Cambodia, Ghana, Sri Lanka, and Zambia by improving upon public engagement techniques and increasing the participation of women, particularly those from marginalized groups. Cobourg presented content on gender equity in local government and strategies on engaging women and marginalized groups. In addition to Cobourg’s EDI programs, representatives from FCM were impressed with the Town’s sustainability efforts and the recent approval of the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan.
The 2023 Mayor Summit of the Urban20 will be held in Ahmedabad (Gujaret, India) on July 7 and 8. Resonating with the G20 theme of ‘One Earth, One family, One Future’ this summit will offer an opportunity to share experiences and deliberation on common priorities, ideas and actions for sustainable urban development. The host city will be funding the travel and stay for the mayors and one accompanying delegate for the duration of the Summit. Mayor Cleveland has been asked to participate in a panel discussion on “Closing the Loop” which will focus on intersectoral planning, regulatory aspects, private sector engagement, care economy investment and implementations challenges for addressing issues related to gender, youth and children. The panel will provide Mayor Cleveland the opportunity to share the programs Cobourg is introducing through the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan as well as Northumberland County’s waste division initiatives and progress to meet Ontario’s Waste Free Ontario Act.
“I am honoured for the opportunity to share the good work that Cobourg is doing at the Urban20. According to the Municipal Act, as the Head of Council and the Chief Executive Officer, my role is to act as the representative of the municipality both within and outside the municipality, and promote the municipality locally, nationally, and internationally,” says Mayor Lucas Cleveland. “The work we are accomplishing now is the result of years of good stewardship and strategic planning on behalf of previous terms of Council and our exceptional staff. I am excited to collaborate with fellow mayors to prove what can be accomplished at the municipal level as well as bring home best practices so that we can improve our programs and plans here.”
Mayor Cleveland left for India on Monday, July 3, 2023, and will return July 11. He looks forward to presenting an update on the forum to Council and the community later in July.
