THE G20 Italian Presidency launched the G20 Platform on SDG Localisation and Intermediary Cities (G20 PLIC) and the G20 Rome High-level Principles on City-to-City partnerships endorsed by G20 Leaders to unlock the potential of intermediary cities to contribute to regional and national development efforts.

Intermediary cities offer a significant, but often untapped, potential for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and contributing to sustainable development. In 2015, cities with less than one million inhabitants in low-income countries hosted around two-thirds of the urban population and accounted for 45% of carbon dioxide emissions. As these cities grow and become wealthier, local governments will not only have to ensure access to public services and infrastructure but also tackle potential increases in their use of carbon-intensive energy sources. In addition, in OECD countries, the digital acceleration and increase in teleworking experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to have lasting effects on the attractiveness of intermediary cities for people and companies, providing opportunities for more balanced, polycentric and quality urbanisation.

Until recently, intermediary cities, especially in low-income economies, were not at the centre of the development agenda. Although that is beginning to change, it is critical to maintain and accelerate momentum on this front, in order to fully address their challenges, and help drive progress on the SDGs and in achieving climate targets, not least as 70% of cities from OECD countries are yet to reach the 2030 targets in 15 of the 17 SDGs.

"COP 26 was a sobering reminder of the challenges that developing countries are facing and the urgency with which we need to meet them. It also underlined the critical role cities play in responding to climate change, to advance a just transition and achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement," stated Mathias Cormann, OECD Secretary General during the event.

Under the Italian Presidency, the G20 has also recognised the importance of action, through the launch of the G20 PLIC, underscoring for the first time "the importance of adopting territorial approaches for the design and implementation of multi-level governance systems, dialogues and policies that are sensitive to local, regional, national and international contexts while advancing the implementation of the 2030 Agenda".