المملكة تشارك في قمة عمداء مجموعة تواصل المجتمع الحضري (U20)

A delegation from the Kingdom, led by the advisor in the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers and head of the Saudi delegation to the Urban 20 (U20) group, Fahd Abdul Mohsen Al-Rashid, participated in the eighth summit of the Urban 20 (U20) mayors, held in Johannesburg.

The Saudi participation in this global urban forum aims to highlight the Kingdom's distinguished approach and unique experiences in urban development, focusing on the importance of education in preparing urban leaders.

The Urban 20 (U20) group is known as a diplomatic initiative for cities that brings together cities from the G20 countries and other cities outside the group to discuss urban, economic, climate, and global developmental issues.

Al-Rashid hosted a special event for city mayors on the sidelines of the summit, organized jointly with the current chairs of the Urban 20 (U20) group for 2025, Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero and Executive Mayor of Tshwane Dr. Ntshebi Moya.

During the event, mayors from the Urban 20 (U20) group were invited to support an initiative aimed at launching a Master's program in Urban Management, which seeks to qualify and prepare city leaders for the future.

The event included leaders from some of the largest cities in the world, along with representatives from prominent international organizations and several academics and specialists in urban development.

In his opening speech during the event, Al-Rashid emphasized that leading cities is one of the most complex tasks, requiring an integrated mix of executive, political, and technical skills. However, the educational programs currently available to train city leaders across this wide range of skills remain limited, highlighting the need to develop specialized programs. He added, "In the business world, the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program is a global standard in executive education; it is time for city leaders to have a similar academic executive program."

The special event for city mayors, which was launched in Rio de Janeiro during the Urban 20 (U20) summit in 2024, reinforces the ongoing initiatives of the Saudi delegation to support urban diplomacy and establish a leadership legacy in the most prominent global forum dedicated to urban development issues.