Urban multilateralism, through initiatives like sister city partnerships and resilience networks, can find solutions for climate action, economic equality, and sustainable growth.
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Cities have become hubs of innovation, economic vigour, and cultural exchange, forging international partnerships to address shared urban challenges. Their increasing collaborations with city counterparts and international organisations, leveraging their common experiences and interests and employing their collective strengths to promote sustainable development through ‘urban multilateralism.’
Urban multilateralism recognises the unique knowledge, resources, and capacities of cities, underlining the importance of city-to-city collaboration to address climate change and economic inequalities.
Urban multilateralism recognises the unique knowledge, resources, and capacities of cities, underlining the importance of city-to-city collaboration to address climate change and economic inequalities. These relationships provide vital collaborative platforms for sharing resources and expertise. How can urban multilateralism evolve to address global problems? How can international organisations facilitate and support city partnerships, especially in the Global South? How can these relationships contribute to the exchange of best practices and coordination of efforts for sustainable development?
Urban multilateralism represents the paradigms of globalisation and glocalisation, facilitating city partnerships and helping cities assume leadership roles. Globalisation emphasises global interdependence through trade and technology, whereas glocalisation recognises interconnected societal issues and seeks solutions for local and global concerns.
After establishing the International Union of Local Authorities in 1913, urban networks thrived in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia. The formation of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) in 2004 emphasised the importance of local governance. Today, these networks are pivotal in shaping global agendas through their participation in initiatives such as the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, the Steering Committee of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation, the UN 2030 Agenda, and the UN-Habitat New Urban Agenda.
Through such associations, city networks facilitate cooperation among cities to identify opportunities and address challenges in economic development, social protection, and environmental sustainability.
Through such associations, city networks facilitate cooperation among cities to identify opportunities and address challenges in economic development, social protection, and environmental sustainability. Additionally, the network ecosystem supports local authorities in creating public value, a function increasingly complex in today's urban landscape. For instance, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) nurtures creativity for promoting sustainability. Network behaviour through individual and collective partnerships also offers significant advantages to cities to tackle market failures and reduce reliance on internal expertise for growth strategies.
Cities can encourage interactions between diverse urban centres, build trust, promote mutual respect, and facilitate North-South partnerships to effectively counter polarisation and nationalism. The G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration called for revitalising multilateralism to tackle global challenges and improve governance. Its support of the G20/ADB Framework for enhancing local public service delivery stressed the importance of city partnerships tailored to specific needs. For example, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) and UCLG's efforts enabled Buenos Aires and Paris to launch Urban20, linking city agendas with the G20.
Cities can encourage interactions between diverse urban centres, build trust, promote mutual respect, and facilitate North-South partnerships to effectively counter polarisation and nationalism.
Initiatives such as the Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Cities Platform promote affordable housing, clean energy, sustainable transportation, and inclusive economic growth. Moreover, C40 is funding more than US$1 billion to support 34 projects in the Global South. The Global Cities Hub connects cities by publishing information on international and regional city projects in the International City Networks Directory.
The Cities Alliance and United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) operate a multi-donor fund in the Greater Horn of Africa and the Bay of Bengal. ICLEI South Asia has partnered with India’s Bhavnagar Municipal Corporation in its Climate Action Plan, which is aligned with the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy’s Common Reporting Framework. Such collaborative strategies enable city networks to navigate the complexities of an interconnected world.
While city partnerships aspire to develop and enhance collaborative networks, they face several challenges, including economic and geopolitical uncertainties, financial volatilities, socio-cultural differences, and domestic concerns that lead to slower response mechanisms. Additionally, with the COVID-19 pandemic establishing the critical role of cities as first responders, policy interventions must account for their transformative potential, reinforcing diplomacy to bolster confidence and achieve strong, sustainable, and balanced growth.
Active urban partnerships
Dynamic urban collaborations require transcending traditional bureaucratic barriers to empower local entities and leverage networks like the Urban20, Sister Cities, and the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments. While a city's network membership may not always align with a specific strategy, it offers valuable engagement opportunities, even on sensitive aspects of security and counter-terrorism. For example, the Strong Cities Network focuses on countering violent extremism. While the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities promotes lifelong learning to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN-Habitat’s Global Network on Safer Cities, active in 77 cities across 24 countries, equips local authorities to enhance urban safety through global collaboration.
Putting people first
Engaging all stakeholders is crucial to addressing inequalities and ground realities. Likewise, connecting international issues to public opinion and fostering public-private cooperation can inspire trust and enhance global governance. For instance, the WHO Global Network for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities facilitates knowledge-sharing and solutions to common challenges, promoting inclusive urban environments and highlighting the benefits of multilateral cooperation for urban health and governance.
Economic cooperation
Global cities can strengthen their resilience against de-globalization through collaborative economic efforts. The economic and trade office of Hong Kong in Dubai cultivates business opportunities and strengthens connections with the Gulf Cooperation Council. Similarly, special economic zones in Dubai, Riyadh, and Shenzhen promote entrepreneurship and attract foreign investments. Cities such as Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Mumbai have become centres for research, development, and commercial innovation, with their infrastructure, talent, and supportive policies. Top universities like Tsinghua University, the National University of Singapore, and the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay attract and nurture exceptional talent in Asian metropolises. City support for incubators, accelerators, and venture capital drives innovation and knowledge exchange, positioning them at the forefront of global development.
Financing engagements
Global city networks facilitate members to engage with international partners and urban programmes, often funded by multilateral entities like the European Union (EU) and the World Bank, including multinational corporations, philanthropies, universities, research centres and global media. However, as membership can sometimes result in passive involvement driven by diplomatic priorities rather than active engagement, cities can also form people-to-people coalitions to address specific issues effectively, bypassing bureaucratic complexities. For instance, by forming community groups, cities such as Barcelona, Paris, and New York are collaborating on the Cities for Adequate Housing campaign, ensuring swift action and tangible results to promptly meet local governance needs.
Localised efforts
City collaborations enhance local initiatives to accomplish the SDGs. For example, Bangladesh’s Voluntary National Review integrates SDG implementation at district and subdistrict levels, promoting grassroots engagement. Similarly, South Africa’s eThekwini aligns the city’s Integrated Development Plan with SDGs for strategic coherence. This trend is global, with cities in Brazil, Colombia, and India integrating SDGs into local policies and planning frameworks, using contextualised development indicators for accountability. For instance, the OpenCities Institute partnered with the city of Patiala to localise the SDGs. Initiatives like the Global Observatory of Urban Artificial Intelligence demonstrate international collaboration on digital rights and ethical AI standards, addressing global challenges through local actions. Such networks, comprising over 300 intercity alliances, advance diplomatic consensus on climate action, migrant protection, and public health, enhancing the global impact of local initiatives.
Data- and tech-driven approaches
City networks are pivotal to shaping urban policies through evidence-based approaches. The Handbook of Cities and Networks explains how economic, social, and transportation networks influence urban processes, leading to initiatives like the Cities Race to Resilience to streamline collective efforts. Empowering mayors to set agendas and increasing visibility for urban leadership by reducing bureaucracy, engaging new stakeholders, and delivering measurable outcomes are central. Achieving impactful results will require establishing reliable data indicators tailored to diverse local contexts, necessitating commitment from network secretariats. For example, the Cities Coalition for Digital Rights, initiated by Barcelona, Amsterdam, and New York along with 50 other cities, addresses digital inequalities for the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI).
Mobilising resources and technical expertise for building resilience is critical for networks to meet evolving city needs and community aspirations. Urban multilateralism, through initiatives like sister city partnerships and resilience networks, can address shared challenges, foster resilient communities, and promote sustainability. Cultural exchange and economic cooperation among cities advance the New Urban Agenda and strengthen global solidarity, making urban multilateralism essential for a brighter, interconnected future. Ultimately, the success of global city networks will depend on their ability to tackle urgent urban issues and demonstrate tangible benefits for city residents.
Anusha Kesarkar Gavankar is a Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation.
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Anusha is Senior Fellow at ORF’s Centre for Economy and Growth. Her research interests span areas of Urban Transformation, Spaces and Habitats. Her work is centred ...
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