Kochi, Kerala's commercial hub, will host the next World Conference of Mayors, where 'Millennium Development Goals and Role of Cities' will be discussed.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the conference, which will be held from January 21 to 23.

Some 300 mayors from across the globe will attend the meeting, which is being held in India for the first time.

The role of urban local governments and how mayors address various development issues in cities will be discussed, Kochi Mayor C M Dinesh Mani said.

There will also be a 'Kochi Declaration', he added.

Mani said some 50 experts on various aspects of urban development and planning will attend the conference.

The mayor said that the Kerala government wanted to present Kochi as the most beautiful city in India. A major beautification project has just begun in this regard.

The corporation has asked a special team of engineers and architects to give a facelift to the city. Drains are being cleaned, new footpaths are laid along major roads and major vantage points and city spots are being spruced up.

The World Conference of Mayors was set up in 1984 in Saint Louis in the US. It meets every year to create contacts between mayors in the world.