European local leaders meet in Tangier to champion Europe’s priorities in the global UCLG network
The City of Tangier hosted the 2026 United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) World Congress and World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders from 22 to 26 June 2026, bringing together local and regional leaders from across the globe to shape a shared vision for the future of their communities. The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), as the European section of UCLG, was present throughout the event, with two particularly significant days marking their contribution to the global programme.
Strengthening Europe’s voice in the global arena
On June 23, CEMR convened the Assembly Track session “From Local Action to Global Impact: Strengthening Multilevel Governance from a European Perspective”. The session brought together local leaders from across the continent to chart European priorities for the 2026–2029 UCLG mandate, explore how local action can feed into global agendas through the Local Social Covenant, and strengthen the role of towns, cities and regions as genuine political partners in global governance.
Participants in the first two panels included Councillors and CEMR spokespersons Carola Gunnarsson and Eider Inuntziaga, as well as Shona Morrisson, Tiit Terik, and André Viola, Deputy Mayor Ursula Sautter and Regional President Marta Prates. Mayor Jan van Zanen, who served as UCLG President until this UCLG Congress, delivered the closing remarks, anchoring the session’s conclusions in a firm commitment to Europe’s role in shaping the next UCLG mandate.
New study on EU Delegations and local governments
On June 24, the third day of the Congress, PLATFORMA and CEMR announced the publication of an upcoming study on how EU Delegations engage with local and regional governments across the globe — the first update to their landmark 2021 report, due to be released in July 2026. Preliminary findings were presented at the session, highlighting opportunities for cooperation as well as ongoing challenges.
By offering a snapshot of how EU Delegations engage with cities, towns, regions and their representative associations under the NDICI–Global Europe framework and the Global Gateway initiative, the session contributed to the broader reflection on EU development policy ahead of the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028–2034.
This study is produced in the framework of the Mindcraft project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
Advancing gender equality: the Feminist Municipal Movement
On the same day, the first-ever UCLG Women’s Assembly hosted women mayors, governors, and local leaders to advance gender equality and strengthen the Feminist Municipal Movement globally. CEMR’s Spokesperson on International Affairs, Councillor Carola Gunnarsson, reflected on eight years of progress within UCLG on gender equality — from the earliest proposals to embed gender activities in the UCLG workplan to the organisation’s broader commitment to becoming a Global Feminist Municipal Movement.
Gunnarsson was frank about the work that remains, in particular regarding female representation in upcoming leadership elections.
Gunnarsson stated: “Now it is time for us to strengthen our efforts to support and help all local governments to become Feminist Municipal Movements. Then we can see a real change and also give women and girls the rights to flourish and society the possibility to grow stronger and better for everyone.”
The UCLG Congress in Tangier reaffirmed the central role of European local and regional governments in the global municipal movement, and CEMR’s commitment to ensuring that local voices — in all their diversity — are at the heart of international decision-making.
Renewal of UCLG governance
During the UCLG Congress in Tangier, the governance bodies of the global organisation were renewed.
The Mayor of Konya, Uğur Ibrahim Altay, was elected President of UCLG, succeeding the Mayor of The Hague, Jan van Zanen, who served as President from 2024 to 2026.
CEMR warmly congratulates the new presidency and expresses its sincere thanks to the Mayor of The Hague for his work and the excellent collaboration throughout his mandate.
The new UCLG co-presidency was also appointed during the Congress and is composed of Bheke Stofile, President of SALGA; Aysen Nikolaev, Head of the Sakha Republic; Jan van Zanen, Mayor of The Hague; Cristian Zamora, Mayor of Cuenca; and Berry Vrbanovic, Mayor of Kitchener. Fatimetou Abdel Malick, was appointed President of the Standing Committee on Gender Equality and will also serve as Co-President of UCLG.
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