The five cycles of the Guangzhou Award represent the dreams of the decade. 1,361 initiatives from 556 cities in 96 countries show the determination of global cities to implement the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Oriented towards the future of the city, the ten years of the Guangzhou Award have encouraged exchanges and mutual learning, and promoted innovation and development, with the joint efforts of the participants. As the core event of this meeting, the opening ceremony will invite participants of the Guangzhou Award to review the development of the Guangzhou Award and celebrate its achievements.

At the opening ceremony, representatives of the hosts and supporters of the Guangzhou Award will deliver remarks, and representatives of winning city mayors and jury members will deliver keynote speeches. Major research reports will also be released.

With the development of cities, climate change and biodiversity loss have brought severe challenges to human survival and development. Cities play an important role in ecological civilization and environmental governance, so as to find solutions for ecological preservation and sustainable development and lead international cooperation on climate change. With a focus on innovative actions of cities to deal with climate change and the way to build a green and sustainable urban future through Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and increased urban resilience, this interactive workshop will contain three parts: theoretical discussion, case sharing and interactive dialogues. Participants will be encouraged to discuss and share experience and viewpoints that spark innovation.

Culture is one of the important pillars of sustainable development. Urban cultural heritage is not only a living tradition, but also a historical context that represents the uniqueness of a city. A city in continuous development is a living organism that needs to be renewed constantly. In the process of accelerating urbanization, it is necessary to preserve urban heritage and cultivate urban culture as the economy grows, so as to rejuvenate old cities. This interactive workshop, including three parts: theoretical discussion, case sharing and interactive dialogues, will discuss how to preserve urban culture and share the commendable practices of urban renewal. Participants will be encouraged to discuss and share experience and viewpoints that spark innovation.

Inclusive development means that all regions and people have the right to the benefits of development. The Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda of the United Nations require that no one and no place should be left behind in the process of urban prosperity and development. Therefore, it is important to adhere to the people-centered principle, enhance public participation and adopt an inclusive governance model to help build inclusive and diverse cities. This sub-forum will be led by UCLG ASPAC Standing Committee on Women in Local Governments (SCWILG). In addition, cities will share their living cases in promoting urban inclusion. This interactive workshop will contain three parts: theoretical discussion, case sharing and interactive dialogues. Participants will be encouraged to discuss and share experience and viewpoints that spark innovation.

Technological innovation and development are key to the urban transformation into a sustainable future. Innovative city development has shown how technology can help implement the New Urban Agenda and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. But how to better develop cities and enable technology to empower them requires cities around the world to address the digital divide, social inequality, and other challenges that technology brings to urban development. This seminar will include discussion and living cases on how technology and governance better improve urban development while promoting social inclusion. This interactive workshop will contain three parts: theoretical discussion, case sharing and interactive dialogues. Participants will be encouraged to discuss and share experience and viewpoints that spark innovation.

The Guangzhou Award has always advocated future-oriented and innovative city development. For a decade, the slogan So Dreams Come True has been echoing. Admittedly, future-orientation and practical innovations constitute the inexhaustible energy to promote urban development.

The closing ceremony is the last event of the series activities to celebrate the Guangzhou Award 10th anniversary. The closing ceremony includes a roundtable, where experts from the Guangzhou Award and representatives from partner organizations are invited to jointly envision the future of urban innovation and sustainable development and write a new chapter of the Guangzhou Award.