In 2024, Italy assumed the Presidency of the G7 for the seventh time, joining Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America in a shared commitment to defend the values ​​of freedom, democracy and address global challenges. The G7 also includes the participation of the European Union and other international organizations and institutions.

Among the priorities of the Italian agenda is sustainable urban development, a theme at the center of the G7 Urban, an initiative launched two years ago in line with the intergovernmental process on urban and territorial policies which also contributed to the definition of the Urban Agenda for the EU.

The G7 Urban aims to examine and compare national policies on urban development, discussing how different countries respond to challenges related to climate change, the circular economy, sustainable mobility, construction and inclusive housing. The discussions are based on the comparison of the respective urban policies and are led by the rotating Presidency with the support of a dedicated working group, composed of experts from the G7 countries, which examines technical and strategic issues in the field of intergovernmental relations.

The G7 Urban working group, in the current year of the Italian Presidency, is coordinated by the Department for Cohesion Policies and for the South. Thanks to its vast experience in urban planning and developing urban strategies within the European and national cohesion policy, the Department is intensively engaged in the essential preparatory work for the development of innovative policies that will be discussed and shared during the next G7 Urban ministerial meeting scheduled for November 2024 and which will be included in the final Communiqué of the 7 Minister