On 12 September, the World Organization of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), including its sections and sister networks, signed framework partnership agreements with the European Commission to continue supporting the role of local authorities and their associations in formulating policies to promote local, regional, and global level sustainable development.
Alongside UCLG, represented by its Governing President, the Mayor of the Hague and President of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities Jan Van Zanen, UCLG sections and sister networks signed agreements in the presence of European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen. They included the Association Internationale des Maires Francophones (AIMF), represented by its President and Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo; the Commonwealth Local Governments Forum (CLGF), represented by its Chairperson and former President of the Botswana Association of Local Authorities Rev Mpho Moruakgomo; Platforma/Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), represented by its President and President of the Emilia-Romagna Region Stefano Bonaccini; and United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA), represented by its President Fatimetou Abdel Malick, President of the Regional Council of Nouakchott .
Supported by €50 million from the European Commission’s Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe (NDICI – Global Europe), the five renewed partnership agreements, that will be in force until 31 April 2026, recognise the contribution of local and regional governments to the design and implementation of policies that are required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular for making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
The agreements will further support the role of local authorities and their associations in formulating policies to promote local, regional, and global level sustainable development and formalize a set of common interests and objectives. These include to enhance the engagement between the EU and local and regional governments and their associations in decentralized cooperation, foster the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals, raise awareness and build the capacities of local and regional governments and their associations as governance and development policy actors at the international level; Strengthen the capacity of associations of local authorities to coordinate the voices of all partners, create synergies, and add value as a network, ensuring good governance and sustainable partnerships, including with the European Union.