U20 Mayors Summit: Leaders plant indigenous trees in Johannesburg

Johannesburg is a proud co-host of the Urban (U20) Mayors Summit which will take place from Friday, September 12, until Sunday, September 14.

The city diplomacy initiative will bring together city leaders, policy makers, and urban innovators to put the spotlight on sustainable cities, inclusive governance, climate action, and digital transformation.

This year's theme is ‘cities leading the way in reimagining global change'.

Ahead of the summit, mayors from different cities will gather in Johannesburg on Thursday, September 11, for a U20 tree planting programme. 

The trees will symbolise the cities' commitment to fighting climate change. 

"On Thursday, 11 September, leaders will gather for the symbolic tree planting ceremony in Mushroom Park, Johannesburg," the City of Joburg announced on Facebook.

"This event highlights the importance of climate action, community unity, environmental sustainability, and local leadership," COJ said.  

The leaders will plant twenty trees. 

"Twenty indigenous trees will stand as symbols of resilience against climate change. Together, delegates will leave a living legacy in the heart of Sandton." 

 The Urban 20 was launched in December 2017 at the One Planet Summit in Paris. This year marks the first time that the summit will be held in Africa. It will be hosted by two major cities- Johannesburg and Tshwane. The summit will be held at NH Hotel in Sandton. 

Other cities that have held the summit are: 

Buenos Aires and Paris (2018)
Tokyo (2019)
Riyadh (2020)
Milan and Rome (2021)
Jakarta (2022)
Ahmedabad (2023)
Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo (2024)