Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.
Skip to main content

Multilateral city diplomacy in crisis situations improving multilevel governance

Dorothee Schmidt

Moderator

date November 7, 2024 | 11:00 - 12:30
place
Voices from Cities - room D
organization
Global Cities Hub
country
Switzerland
language
English
Reference: 
VC-D 12

Summary

In the new definition of international relations, city networks and the actions of local elected officials are essential. City diplomacy, which serves as leverage in international policies, must be recognized and integrated, not as a simple relay for centralized strategies, but as a role in its own right in management of cooperation policies. From the post-war twinnings to current cooperation, the link between local elected officials is crucial in order to provide concrete solutions to crises the world must face. It is imperative to establish an efficient global governance system rooted in inclusive multilateralism. As cities are projected to accommodate two-thirds of global population by 2050, it becomes paramount for local and regional governments (LRG) to spearhead development efforts. The World Urban Forum (WUF) holds a pivotal role in inspiring multilateral fora to integrate LRGs into forward-thinking global decision-making processes.
Cities are places where conflicts emerge, particularly during civil wars, and in contexts of weakening of the state institution. At the same time cities remain spaces of refuge for displaced populations, that might fuel an anarchic growth in peri-urban areas, precarious housing and camps, and gives rise to specific management issues. New conflicts have plunged Europe and the Middle East into a new situation of tension and lasting war. How do local authorities cope with these crisis contexts and what are the survival mechanisms of populations in cities affected by conflicts? How are “target cities” and “refuge cities” forced to reorganize in the face of war? The example of Gaza is a symbolic reminder of the complexity of all these problems.
The report of the High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement and the UN Secretary-General's Program of Action on Internal Displacement fully recognized the key role of LRGs in finding solutions on their scale. Local communities and authorities have the responsibility to find solutions for developing collective strategies for the security, dignity and humanity of all citizens. Urban planning is recognized as being crucial for the integration of displaced populations into development strategies. In many of these cases, local authorities have responded by organizing themselves or with other levels of government, partners, to provide access to housing, transportation, information, education and professional opportunities, but also to mobilize humanitarian aid and political support for the affected territories.
Cités Unies France leads the collaboration among LRGs engaged in international action. The initiatives of the municipal movement brought together within UCLG and the Global Task Force bear witness to the activism of cities to implement innovative and adapted practices and balanced narratives on migrant and displaced populations and human mobility around the world. Global Cities Hub connects LRGs and their networks to International Organizations, including UNHCR and IOM.

Objectives

Networks represent a successful avenue of multilateralism, providing platform for thematic discussions, peer-to-peer exchanges, and political support. To promote peace and dialogue is one of the most important goal and value of city-to-city relations.
Multilateral city-diplomacy should embrace impactful interaction with multilateral intergovernmental organizations as well. A meaningful mission-oriented dialogue and exchange with LRGs must take place at the level of international organizations. Inclusive and effective multilateralism requires a whole-of-governance approach where the different levels complement and strengthen each other. The Pact for the Future as the outcome of the UN Summit of the Future is supposed to echo this consideration.
Local authorities acting in the management of internally displaced persons is a concrete case of application of a pragmatic and innovative approach in terms of urban diplomacy and inclusive multilateralism.
Objectives:
• Set the framework for the action of city networks in particular in crisis context like wars.
• Focus on a major impact: the displaced person. Testify, explain, propose courses of action within the framework of cooperation between local and regional authorities.
• Advocate for a strengthened and holistic UN engagement with LRGs, encompassing institutional mechanisms and partnerships.
• Bolster LRG participation in decision-making processes related to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the New Urban Agenda.

Session panelists

Panelist
Role
Organization
Country
Mr. Filiep Decorte
Chief of Programme Development Branch
UN-Habitat
Ms. Sukaina Al-Nasrawi
Lead of Sustainable Urban Development
UNESCWA
Mr. Sami Kanaan
Mayor
City of Geneva
Ms. Clare Hart
Vice-president
City of Monpelier - Cites Unies France