An online conference themed around urban innovation under the COVID-19 pandemic is held in Guangzhou on Nov 11 as part of the UCLG 2020 World Council. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

An online conference themed around urban innovation under the COVID-19 pandemic was held in Guangzhou on Nov 11 as part of the UCLG 2020 World Council.

The conference was held by United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and the Guangzhou municipal government.

Gao Yuyue, deputy secretary general of the Guangzhou municipal government, said that cities around the world should team up in establishing an effective communication platform for urban management considering the current problems in people's living environments.

Gao added that Guangzhou has set up the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation, also known as the Guangzhou Award, with UCLG and the World Association of Metropolis (Metropolises) to encourage and promote urban management innovations around the world.

The Guangzhou Award has now gained recognition from international organizations like UN-Habitat, serving as an important platform for implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goal and the New Urban Agenda.

Emilia Saiz, secretary general of UCLG, spoke highly of the Guangzhou Award, noting that it has offered excellent communication opportunities for local governments and regional organizations.

Octavi de la Varga, secretary general of Metropolises, said that the evaluation mechanism of the Guangzhou Award has made member cities of UCLG pay more attention to urban innovation.

Currently, the fifth Guangzhou Award has received a total of 273 projects from 175 cities of 60 countries around the world to compete for it.