Canton Tower lights up the opening night of the Global Mayors' Forum in Guangzhou. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The opening session and board of directors meeting of the 13th Metropolis World Congress was held on Nov 8 both online and on-site in Guangzhou, gathering representatives from 83 Metropolis member cities.

The day also marked the opening of the Global Mayors' Forum in Guangzhou, which will last till Nov 13, and is expected to attract over 800 domestic and overseas guests. 

The Metropolis is an important platform for mega cities from all over the world to share their experiences and resources. Guangzhou has been taking an active role in promoting cooperation with global partners to further establish sustainable development goals created by the United Nations since it was selected to chair the Metropolis in 2020.

Octavi de la Varga, secretary-general of the Metropolis, said during his speech that this year's event was the first to be held both online and on-site. 

Varga also shared some highlights of an international children's painting competition that was launched by the Metropolis. As of now, the competition has received 1,200 paintings from children and teens aged 5 to 14 years old that hail from 33 Metropolis member cities.

The Metropolis World Congress is a triennium event that was scheduled to be held last year, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's event in Guangzhou was also the first of its kind to be held in China.