Guangzhou Award promotes multilateral cooperation among global cities

Zhan Decun, director of the foreign affairs office of the Guangzhou municipal government. [Photo/Southern Metropolis Daily]

In the past 10 years, the Guangzhou Award event has been held five times, and the award has built a network of multilateral exchanges and cooperation among global cities.

Over the past decade, more than 500 cities from 96 countries that participated in the Guangzhou Award event around the world have greatly expanded the scope of Guangzhou's circle of friends, according to Zhan Decun, director of the foreign affairs office of the Guangzhou municipal government.

The award has established cooperative relations with hundreds of domestic and foreign experts in the field of urban governance and has formed interactive relationships with more than 70 international organizations and institutions.

Zhan said that since its establishment, the three organizers of the award have always adhered to building a multilateral cooperation platform for global urban governance innovation. 

The award served as the foundation for the Global Mayors' Forum, which was formed in 2018 and drew 126 cities from 80 different countries to participate in the Global Mayors' Forum in 2021, Zhan noted. To date, more and more cities and international organizations are focusing on the Guangzhou Award to establish friendly exchanges and cooperation with Guangzhou and carry out innovative governance cooperation, Zhan added.

Ten years of celebrating the Guangzhou Award signifies a decade of rapid development of international Friendship City relations in Guangzhou. The number of international Friendship Cities has increased from 29 to 38, and Friendly Cities have increased from 14 to 63, which has created a global city partnership network covering 66 countries on six continents.

Many Guangzhou Friendship Cities participated in the themed activities during the Guangzhou Award event, and some cities also became Guangzhou's Friendly Cities thanks to the award.

The third Workshop for Thought Leaders is held in Guangzhou. [Photo/Southern Metropolis Daily]

UN-Habitat publishes the Guangzhou Award 2022 Local Implementation of the New Urban Agenda Report. [Photo/Southern Metropolis Daily]