On behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the acting Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Majid bin Abdullah Al-Hogail was handed over the final communique of the Urban 20 (U20) Mayors Summit, from the CEO of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and U20 Saudi chair, Fahd Abdulmohsan Alrasheed. This came at the conclusion of virtual U20 Mayors Summit. The speech of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was delivered by the Acting Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs Majid Al-Hogail: In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful, Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you, First, I would like to extend my gratitude to the Urban 20 Engagement Group this year represented by the Chair Fahd bin Abdulmohsen Alrasheed, Sherpa, participating members, and knowledge partners globally for working together under the G20 umbrella, which our capital city of Riyadh had the honor of chairing and hosting it, in the aim of highlighting the views of urban communities, especially as cities of the world are at the forefront of the COVID-19 outbreak challenges. Urban citizens represent today more than 50% of the world's population. Recent statistics indicate that city populations are expected to grow to two-thirds of the world population by 2050. Accordingly, it is more important than ever to have cities' representatives participate in international multilateral platforms; given that such platforms discuss a wide range of citizens needs on a daily basis, and have extensive knowledge of key challenges and opportunities related to multiple pressing global issues including infrastructure, smart cities, civil societies, energy, innovation, and many other areas related to urban society. We have reviewed the Urban 20 communique that was issued prior to the G20 Extraordinary Leaders' Summit last March, which called on the G20 Leaders to take urgent measures to support cities in containing COVID-19. According to the commitments we have made as G20 Leaders in the Summit, we reaffirm that our primary and immediate priority is combating COVID-19 and its health, social, and economic impacts. Our efforts within the G20 remain focused on providing the suitable conditions for developing a vaccine for COVID-19, while ensuring fair and equitable access to it for everyone, taking into account the needs of the developing countries. Additionally, we are utilizing the lessons learned from this pandemic to ensure that future generations are prepared in face of future health and economic challenges. --More 02:14 LOCAL TIME 23:14 GMT 0021 www.spa.gov.sa/2140700
