23 JUNE 2026
BEYOND THE STATUTORY TRACK
The first official day of the Congress will be marked by the Executive Bureau, the General Assembly and the Official Opening Ceremony. But much of the day’s energy will also be found beyond the main statutory sessions.
Regional assemblies open the morning, with the European and Asia-Pacific Assemblies at 9:00, followed by the African Assembly at 13:00. These spaces will help set regional and territorial priorities for the Congress week.
One space to watch is the UCLG Intermediary Cities Forum, convened from 11:00 to 12:30 in Room B Atlantic. The session will explore the role of intermediary cities in territorial cohesion, multilevel governance and more balanced development, building on the outcomes of the UCLG Forum of Intermediary Cities in Cuenca and paving the way for a 2026–2030 Roadmap after Tangier.
Care will also have a visible place in the programme. The Care Corner opens at 12:00, with a brief launch of this dedicated space for exploring care as a political and public policy agenda. Later, from 13:00 to 14:30, the roundtable Caring Territories: Partnerships for Integrated Policies will take place in Room B Atlantic, bringing together Mercociudades, UCLG, FAMSI, Sevilla Province, Catalonia Region, Barcelona Province and the Global Alliance for Care.
The Local4Action Track will offer several entry points into the political themes of the day: the MENA Urban Covenant at 9:00, violence prevention at 11:00, peace through local action at 12:45, youth climate action and decentralised cooperation at 13:00, and a series of afternoon dialogues on inclusive economic development, ecocide, human rights in the city and COP31.
The Tangier-Morocco Track and the Networking Hub will add further spaces for launches, exchanges and host-city perspectives throughout the day.