Local reflections for this Commonwealth Day 

On 9 March 2026 the Commonwealth, which brings together 56 member states and one third of the world’s population, will mark Commonwealth Day. This is an annual moment when Commonwealth Governments and Commonwealth organisations reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism and the importance of cooperation and partnership in addressing shared challenges as they work towards greater democratic, economic and environmental resilience.

Mulitlateralism at the local level 

Multilateralism doesn’t stop at the national level. As a Commonwealth network we bring together our members to share good practice, to learn from each other, and to work together as a group to ensure that local government’s voice is heard in Commonwealth policy making, but also more widely. Many of our members celebrated, for example, the adoption of the Commonwealth Declaration on Sustainable Urbanisation, by Commonwealth Heads Government in 2022, and of course CLGF’s Aberdeen Agenda is one of the key tenets of the Commonwealth Charter. CLGF is currently working as part of the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Coalition to further develop mulit-sector partnerships in key thematic areas crucial for urbanisation, specifically finance, housing and planning. This work will be fed back to key Commonwealth decision makers in an event at the end of March, as well as in its work leading up to the 2026 Antigua and Barbuda CHOGM.

Since its inception, CLGF has been an active member of the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments (GTF), working with and through our members to ensure that local governments voice is heard in global policy making including at the UN and in climate negotiations.  As Li Junhua, UN under Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs said in July 2025 at the High Level Political Forum (HLPF): “The clock is ticking. We cannot achieve global goals without local action”.

As local government, we know this! As critical political actors our sector should be recognised and resourced, both as implementers but also as co-creators of new approaches and innovations in the public services, which will enable us to deliver on the commitments in the Agenda 2030.

A global coalition of local and regional governments

In February 2026 members of the Global Taskforce gathered together to prepare for 2026, which will be a significant year for local government at the global level. The HLPF in July will see Goals 6, 7, 9, 11 and 17 being reviewed. All of these have a strong local dimension, but SDG11, the cities’ goal, is a crucial one for our sector. A 10-year review of progress against the New Urban Agenda is also underway and will be discussed at the upcoming World Urban Forum (WUF).

Mandated by Action 55 in the Pact for the Future, our local multilateral movement is also now working to consolidate its place within the multilateral system and stand as a full partner with national and international actors to ensure that global commitments deliver tangible results for communities. We are building on the impacts achieved to date; most recently through the creation of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Committee on Local and Regional Governments which incorporated a number of CLGF member organisations including our Chairperson, Mayor Wagner and reported in 2025.

The World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments which will take place alongside both the HLPF and the WUF, will be our opportunity to position local democracy as a central pillar of sustainable development with a view to securing specific status for local government within the UN, where local governments are currently classified as NGOs. We look forward to engaging with our members on this and how this can best be achieved – whether through building on existing structures or developing new approaches.

So as we mark Commonwealth Day, and celebrate the importance of multilateralism, let us also come together to continue to strengthen the local multilateralism movement towards sustainable and including development for all.