Sustainable development is a burning issue in today's human society. The global spread of COVID-19 highlights the importance and urgency of sustainable development.

A total of 273 initiatives from 175 cities and local governments in 60 countries and regions applied for the fifth Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation, demonstrating the determination among global cities to adhere to exchanges and cooperation despite the epidemic.

A recent meeting of the fifth Guangzhou Award released the Technical Committee Meeting results and announced the 15 shortlisted cities.

Guests attending the event included Mr Guan Litong, deputy director general of the Department of European and Asian Affairs at the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries; Mr Sun Xiuqing, deputy secretary general of Guangzhou municipal government; Ms Emilia Saiz, secretary-general of United Cities and Local Governments; Mr Octavi de la Varga, secretary general of Metropolis.

Mr Liu Baochun, director general of the foreign affairs office of Guangzhou municipal government and Metropolis Regional Secretary of Asia-Pacific, hosted the conference.

Several speakers affirmed the urgency and importance of urban governance as well as international cooperation.

"Innovation is not always about new things but is about making sure that we connect the dots, that our priorities count, the priorities of the communities that we serve," said Ms Saiz.

Multiple speakers expressed their recognition on Guangzhou Award's achievements in terms of urban governance innovation. In Guan's speech, he remarked that, despite the impact of the pandemic, the fifth Guangzhou Award has progressed in the face of adversity. It fully demonstrates the international influence of the Guangzhou Award and the determination of global cities to cooperate and develop amid the pandemic.

Sun praised the Guangzhou Award for sticking to its mission and promoting global urban governance and sustainable development, while combating the global pandemic.

Ms Sylvia Croese, chair of the Technical Committee of the fifth Guangzhou Award and the senior researcher of the South African Research Chair in Spatial Analysis and City Planning from the University of the Witwatersrand, reported on the initial assessment and announced the list of shortlisted cities. Subsequently, two of the technical committee members - Mr Serge Salat, president of Urban Morphology and Complex Systems Institute in Paris, and Mr Ali Cheshmehzangi, head of the Department of Architecture and Built Environment and director of the Centre for Sustainable Energy Technologies (CSET) of the University of Nottingham in Ningbo China - commented on the shortlisted initiatives.

The 15 shortlisted cities of the fifth Guangzhou Award are: City of Unley, Australia; Wien, Austria; Sao Jose dos Pinhais, Brazil; Chongqing, China; Capital Region of Denmark, Denmark; Quito, Ecuador; all 114 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) of Odisha, India; Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC), India; Bandung City Government, Indonesia; Union of Municipalities, Lebanon; Municipality Of Antananarivo (Commune Urbaine d'Antananarivo), Madagascar; Breda, Netherlands; Departmental Council of Saint Louis, Senegal; City of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa; Los Angeles, USA.

Finally, guests gave interviews to various media and shared different concepts and practices of urban innovation and sustainable development. They also gave their opinions on the future trends of global urban governance and the renewing powers of innovation. These ideas provided new insights for the exploration of future urban sustainable development.