The Capacity and Institution Building (CIB) Annual Meeting took place yesterday as part of the Multilateral Coalition sessions of UCLG Congress.
Participants reflected on a reality that is affecting cooperation actors across the world. Development budgets are under pressure, political priorities are shifting, and international partnerships are increasingly shaped by broader geopolitical, economic, migration and security considerations. The question raised in Tangier was therefore not whether local government cooperation remains relevant, but how it must evolve.
The discussion built on the UCLG-CIB Action Paper, which has guided exchanges within the network over the past year. A common conclusion emerged from those conversations: business as usual is no longer sufficient. Local government development cooperation must demonstrate its value through stronger partnerships, more flexible approaches and closer connections between local priorities and global agendas.
Rather than focusing solely on challenges, participants explored practical responses already emerging in different regions. These included new forms of peer learning, partnerships between local government associations and municipalities, innovative financing approaches, and efforts to strengthen collective advocacy around the role of local governments in international cooperation.
The debate also highlighted the comparative advantage of local governments. At a time when trust in institutions is under strain, municipalities remain the level of government closest to communities and often the first to respond to everyday challenges. Development cooperation between local governments therefore offers more than technical exchange: it provides opportunities to share practical solutions rooted in experience and proximity.
ADAPTING LOCAL COOPERATION
