USA
Mayor Mamdani Welcomes Global Mayors to New York City for 2026 Urban 20 Summit: Mayors and senior city leaders from around the world gathered in New York City from September 19 to 21 for the 2026 Urban 20 (U20) Mayors Summit, co-chaired by New York City and Los Angeles. Hosted by New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, the three-day summit brought together representatives from cities across the G20 to discuss shared urban challenges, including affordable housing, climate change, homelessness, migration and human mobility.
The summit was convened by C40 Cities and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), in partnership with the Mayors Migration Council. Participating cities included major urban centers across the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia. The U20 process provides a platform for major cities to develop a collective urban agenda and communicate recommendations to national governments participating in the G20.
The summit concluded with the adoption of the 2026 U20 Communiqué, which set out three central priorities: expanding access to secure, dignified and affordable housing; confronting the climate crisis through a clean and just energy transition and stronger urban resilience; and managing migration while supporting immigrant and displaced communities. The communiqué called for cities to receive greater authority, predictable funding and improved access to financing so they could implement solutions at the local level.
On housing, the communiqué highlighted the growing affordability crisis and called for stronger tenant protections, expanded affordable housing supply, public and community-based housing models, measures to address homelessness, and improved access to housing finance. It also called for closer coordination among national, regional and local governments, recognizing cities as key partners in housing policy and delivery.
Climate action formed the second major pillar of the communiqué. City leaders emphasized the need to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, expand renewable energy, strengthen urban resilience and prepare communities for extreme heat, flooding, wildfire, drought and other climate-related risks. The document also called for cities to have greater access to climate finance, environmental and public-health data, early-warning systems and technological tools to support evidence-based decision-making.
Migration and human mobility constituted the third priority. The communiqué called for stronger city involvement in migration policy, dedicated funding for reception and integration services, access to essential services, workforce development and safe and orderly employment pathways. It also emphasized cooperation between cities and national governments in responding to displacement linked to climate change, conflict and economic pressures.
The communiqué further stated that the U20 cities represented more than 500 million people and more than one-third of global GDP, underscoring the economic and demographic importance of metropolitan areas in global policymaking. City leaders called for stronger international cooperation and for cities to be treated as active partners in addressing global challenges.
The New York summit also marked the beginning of a week of city-focused climate leadership connected to Climate Week NYC, with participating mayors and city leaders continuing discussions on extreme heat, resilience, clean air, sustainable housing and other urban climate issues.
Certainly. The communiqué you provided lists the following U20 city leaders who endorsed the 2026 communiqué. I would include them in the article as a dedicated section rather than putting all the names into the opening paragraphs:
Mayors and City Leaders at the 2026 Urban 20 Summit
The 2026 U20 communiqué was endorsed by city leaders representing 35 cities across the world, including:
- Amsterdam — Mayor Femke Halsema
- Atlanta — Mayor Andre Dickens
- Barcelona — Mayor Jaume Collboni Cuadrado
- Bristol — Cllr Tony Dyer, Leader
- Buenos Aires — Chief of Government Jorge Macri
- Chicago — Mayor Brandon Johnson
- Denver — Mayor Mike Johnston
- eThekwini Municipality — Mayor Cyril Xaba
- Freetown — Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr
- Greater Manchester — Mayor Bev Craig
- Helsinki — Mayor Daniel Sazonov
- Istanbul — Acting Mayor Nuri Aslan
- Izmir — Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay
- Jakarta — Governor Pramono Anung
- Johannesburg — Executive Mayor Dada Morero
- Kitchener — Mayor Berry Vrbanovic
- London — Mayor Sadiq Khan
- Los Angeles — Mayor Karen Bass
- Mexico City — Governor Clara Brugada
- Milan — Mayor Giuseppe Sala
- Montreal — Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada
- New York City — Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani
- Osaka — Governor Hideyuki Yokoyama
- Paris — Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire
- Rome — Mayor Roberto Gualtieri
- Rotterdam — Mayor Carola Schouten
- São Paulo — Mayor Ricardo Nunes
- Seattle — Mayor Katie B. Wilson
- Seoul — Mayor Oh Se-hoon
- Sydney — Lord Mayor Clover Moore AO
- Toronto — Mayor Olivia Chow
- Tshwane — Executive Mayor Dr. Nasiphi Moya
The official U20/C40 announcement confirms that the summit brought together leaders from more than 35 cities, with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass serving as the 2026 co-chairs.
The 2026 U20 cycle was co-chaired by New York City and Los Angeles, following the 2025 U20 cycle co-chaired by Johannesburg and Tshwane. The adopted communiqué is intended to serve as the cities’ collective contribution to the G20 discussions and calls for stronger city-national cooperation in turning global commitments into practical action at the local level.
