GUANGZHOU, China, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On February 23, the launch ceremony of the 6^th Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation (Guangzhou Award) was held in Barcelona, Spain during the 2023 United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) Retreat and Campus. At the meeting, UCLG, World Association of the Major Metropolises (Metropolis) and Guangzhou City jointly announced the call for submissions of the 6^th Guangzhou Award. Mr. Deng Changxiong, Deputy Director of the Office of Foreign Affairs Commission of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee, Ms. Emilia Saiz, Secretary General of UCLG, and Mr. Jordi Vaquer, Secretary General of Metropolis, attended the meeting and delivered speeches.

Mr. Deng read out a congratulatory message from the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) in his speech. "The CPAFFC is willing to work with the governments of all cities to support the UCLG and the Metropolis to play a greater role, and continues to make good use of international platforms such as the Global Mayors' Forum and the Guangzhou Award to create opportunities for cooperation and development among global cities." 

Ms. Emilia Saiz, and Mr. Jordi Vaquer highly appreciated the achievements and contributions made by Guangzhou in actively promoting international exchange and cooperation among cities and fostering the innovative development of global cities, and expressed their continued unwavering support for the development of Guangzhou Award.

Co-sponsored by the City of Guangzhou, the UCLG and the Metropolis, the Guangzhou Award aims to recognize innovation in improving social, economic, and environmental sustainability and good urban governance in cities and regions and, in doing so, to advance the prosperity and quality of life of their citizens. So far, five cycles have been held, attracting over 1,300 initiatives worldwide. It has become a global platform for city-to-city learning and the documentation, dissemination, and analysis of the local implementation of global agendas including SDGs and the New Urban Agenda (NUA).

The 6th Guangzhou Award is now calling for participation from all cities and local governments around the world with ongoing or recently completed initiatives, including those that are implemented in collaboration with private and civil society partners. Please learn more about the detailed guidelines on: http://www.guangzhouaward.org/The6thGuangzhouAward?lang=en