There is much talk today of the “crisis of multilateralism” that the world faces. But there is a multilateral system that is not in crisis: the one built by cities and regions. Grounded in proximity, solidarity, and inclusion, the municipal movement shows that cooperation across territories is both possible and transformative. Sustained by the daily relationship between citizens and their local governments — and strengthened through collaboration with civil society and other players — it demonstrates that delivery is achievable even when global governance falters.
The provision of local public services is how this leadership takes form, translating political commitments into effective, people-centered delivery. This is local multilateralism in practice: cooperation through action and collective commitment across territories.
United Cities and Local Governments, or UCLG, the world’s largest organization of local, metropolitan, and regional governments and their associations, facilitates the self-organized, networked constituency of cities and regions, advancing political advocacy for local governance, subsidiarity, and democracy.
UCLG is now advancing a shared plan: the Local Social Covenant. This framework connects local action with global ambition, placing people and the planet at the center of policymaking and renewing governance through co-creation, care, and shared responsibility.
The Local Social Covenant seeks to shape the priorities and outcomes of the next UCLG World Congress, to be held during the week of June 22, 2026, in Tangier — a global call for municipalism to define its collective voice. The congress will serve as the democratic space where local and regional leaders from around the world connect with purpose and leadership, demonstrating local multilateralism not as theory, but as a living practice.
Born from lived experience — of crisis, inequality, and resilience — the covenant redefines multilateralism from the ground up. It is not about institutions negotiating texts, but about communities shaping their futures together, a practice renewed every time a local government delivers for its community.
At the heart of the covenant lies a practice of cooperation that brings together local and regional governments, organized civil society, academia, and global partners to shape priorities collectively and turn them into action. Social movements, unions, women’s and youth networks, cultural players, Indigenous communities, and human rights defenders work alongside mayors and governors, co-creating commitments that bridge local realities and global challenges.
This approach embodies governance grounded in trust, accountability, and shared purpose. It shows that renewing the global agenda begins with daily cooperation between territories and their people.
The Local Social Covenant is anchored in three political commitments that shape its vision: care, anti-discrimination and anti-racism, and youth participation. Care emerges as a feminist principle of governance and a public responsibility: It demands that institutions recognize interdependence, value care work, and design policies that place well-being at the center of decision-making. This vision is advanced through collaborations with the Global Alliance for Care, Public Services International, and the Huairou Commission, which are redefining care as the connective tissue of equality and governance.
Anti-discrimination and anti-racism are an ethical imperative and a political stance to confront structural inequalities, defend human rights, and ensure that no person or community is excluded. Equality is not an add-on but the measure of whether societies live up to their promises. With the support of UNESCO, this commitment anchors equality and cultural diversity as cornerstones of inclusive governance, reaffirming that combating discrimination is central to the renewal of public life.
Youth participation is treated as genuine power-sharing. Young people are co-creators of policies, bringing new visions to democratic institutions and shaping the services that will define the future. Their involvement is a political necessity — not a symbolic act. Through the UCLG Youth Caucus and partnerships with academic institutions such as the London School of Economics or organizations such as Bloomberg Philanthropies, young leaders are co-creating policy visions that respond to today’s realities and build the foundations of future governance.
The transformative capacity of local governance depends on the solidity of a series of pillars upon which it rests. Through the covenant, these pillars represent the shared priorities of local and regional governments — the essential areas where values are translated into action and tangible change for communities.
• Finance emerges as the indispensable foundation. Without strong local finances, fiscal justice, and direct access to resources, local governments cannot deliver the public services that give rights their meaning. Partners such as the Global Commission for Urban SDG Finance, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the United Nations Capital Development Fund are working to imagine a financial architecture that empowers territories and enables long-term, care-based investment.
• Housing affirms a universal right, not a market privilege. Adequate and affordable homes are the condition for equality in cities and territories, the entry point to public services, and the cornerstone of a democratic life. Collaboration with the International Institute for Environment and Development, along with the contribution of other partners such as Habitat for Humanity International, Slum Dwellers International, and Habitat International Coalition helps link housing policy to broader territorial development, ensuring that housing systems advance both sustainability and justice.
• Food systems are redefined to end hunger and protect sovereignty. Rooted in solidarity and sustainability, local governments are reshaping governance so that no community is left behind and food security becomes a guarantee, not a gamble. The Food and Agriculture Organization and the Global Alliance Against Hunger accompany and inspire this work, supporting territorial food systems that connect local production with climate resilience and community well-being.
• Health stands as a public good, protected from commodification. Universal and community-based health systems ensure that the most vulnerable receive care, making health a right upheld daily in neighborhoods and regions. The World Health Organization and the universal health coverage 2030 campaign support local and regional governments in placing people, not profit, at the center of health governance.
• Local conflict prevention is built locally, in the trust forged in streets, schools, and public spaces. Local governments are the first line of prevention and coexistence, showing that dialogue and inclusion are the only foundations of lasting stability. Networks such as Peace in Our Cities help embed this principle in municipal practice.
• The new essentials of urban life — local care systems, digital rights, time, and safety after dark, among other emerging issues — place dignity at the center of citizens’ everyday experiences, recognizing that equality is lived in daily interactions, not just written in law. These emerging priorities are developed through a partnership with the Global Platform for the Right to the City and contributions from organizations such as the Time Use Initiative.
• Climate must be recognized as a matter of justice — not survival. The climate emergency is a crisis of inequality, demanding just transitions led by cities and territories. Through the partnership with Stop Ecocide International and contributions such as those from Cities Alliance help ground the climate agenda as a climate justice one, ensuring that environmental action advances hand in hand with social inclusion.
• Culture is the backbone of belonging and democracy. By defending cultural rights, local governments protect memory, identity, and creativity, weaving resilience and freedom into the fabric of community life. Collaboration with the International Federation of Library Associations, together with the engagement of the Culture2030Goal Campaign, sustains this vision, recognizing culture as both a human right and a foundation for peace and civic trust.
Taken together, these priorities are more than an aspirational framework: They demand structures that can translate them into verifiable political commitments. This is where the Tangier Town Hall process comes in — the political heart of the Local Social Covenant. Through this structured dialogue, what begins as values and thematic priorities is transformed into shared agendas, distributed responsibilities, and written commitments.
Rights cannot exist without the institutions and services that make them real in people’s lives. Housing, health, food, education, culture, and care are not abstract commitments — they are delivered, protected, and expanded every day through local public services.
The Local Social Covenant brings this truth to the center of the global agenda. By recognizing public service provision as the backbone of a new generation of rights, it shifts the focus of multilateralism from promises to practice.
The way forward is clear: to anchor global commitments in local delivery, to treat local public service provision as a political commitment rather than a policy afterthought, and to ensure that rights, care, and trust are woven into the fabric of policy-making at all levels. The Local Social Covenant offers both a vision and a practical pathway to a renewed global social contract.
Visit our website to learn more about the Local Social Covenant.