CLGF was delighted to be invited to attend the UCLG World Congress in Tangier 21-25 June 2026. The meeting brought together local government actors from across the world, and it was a good chance to meet with many of CLGF’s members.

UCLG is an important sister organisation of CLGF, and we collaborate in a number of key areas, including on global advocacy through the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments. This grouping brings together over 30 local government networks to push for a stronger and more strategic role for local government in global development.

Shaping the Post-2030 Agenda

The Congress provided an important opportunity to discuss the post 2030 Agenda and local multilateralism with the UCLG General Assembly. The CLGF Secretary-General highlighted the progress that has been made to date by working together and having a strong shared message. She also noted that 2026 is an important year in that it will see a review of SDG11 at the High Level Political Forum, a 10 year review of the New Urban Agenda and also the completion of the UN @80 process. She called for the GTF members to redouble efforts to secure the support of member state Governments to reinforce the role of local government as partners in the multi-lateral process.

Additionally, CLGF was able to participate in the Capacity and Institution Building platform reflecting on the changes in donor funding for local government capacity building and exchanging examples of the potential for developing new partnerships and approaches to ensure that our local governments can continue to deliver effectively.

Advancing women's political participation and data-driven inclusion

Councillor Dr Odette Uwizeye, President of the Rwanda Local Government Association and Chairperson of the ComWLG. Photo credit: © UCLG, 2026

Councillor Dr Odette Uwizeye, President of the Rwanda Local Government Association and Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women in Local Government Network (ComWLG) delivered an intervention on how global development is fundamentally driven by decisions at the local level. She emphasised that local public services - such as water, sanitation, safe transport markets and climate adaptation, are where citizens’ rights become a reality. Cllr Dr Uwizeye also pinpointed that that localisation must change more than our language; it must change priorities, budgets, data, power and accountability. More importantly, it will only be transformative when the people closest to the challenges - including women local leaders and the communities they serve, are also closest to the decisions, resources and accountability systems that shape their everyday lives.

She spoke about the importance of women’s political participation and the need for action to ensure that more women are part of the decision-making process. She highlighted that currently 25.7% of council seats across the 44 Commonwealth countries with elected local government. She noted that RALGA has actively implemented an innovative internship programme, deploying fresh graduates to Districts to familiarise and motivate them to pursue careers in local administration. Beyond recruitment, Cllr Dr Uwizeye emphasised that gender-disaggregated and locally meaningful data are essential to ensure that no one is left out of local councils’ agendas and decision-making.

Having summarised Rwanda’s progress over the last 10 years. She looked ahead and indicated that the next global agenda must recognise local governments as co-creators, not just implementers. It must place gender equality, local democracy, climate resilience and universal local public services at the centre.

Through networks like UCLG and the CLGF’s Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Network (CSCN), it is evident that municipal finance, revenue systems and digital tools are vital necessities for effective local delivery. This infrastructure will help tackle a major obstacle: the fact that many local governments are currently asked to deliver global goals without the corresponding authority, finance, or systems to do so.

Welcoming the newly elected UCLG leadership

The Congress concluded with elections to the Board of UCLG and on behalf of all CLGF members, we send our congratulations to the newly elected President Mr Ugur Ibrahim Altay, Mayor of Konya, Turkiye, the Co-Presidents from the different regions of UCLG, and the first President for the Standing Committee on Gender Equality Fatimetou Abdel Malick, President of Nouakchott Region, Mauritania. We look forward to continuing to work closely together to strengthen local democracy and good governance.