YOUTH ENGAGEMENT IN URBAN GOVERNANCE
The Youth Inclusive Digital Urban Governance (YUP) project was presented in Tangier as a practical model for bringing young people into urban decision-making. Developed with partners in Lebanon and Indonesia, the initiative works with youth citizen scientists to co-produce digital platforms and research that help local governments better understand young people’s priorities, experiences and proposals for their cities.
The dialogue, convened by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) in collaboration with University College London (UCL) and the London School of Economics (LSE), placed the project within a broader discussion on how to make youth participation more meaningful. YUP shows that engagement can go beyond youth councils or consultations when young people are involved in knowledge production, agenda-setting and the design of tools that can become part of everyday local governance.
More information: You can find the full report on the finding from four cities in Indonesia and Lebanon here.
CULTURE-POWERED DEVELOPMENT: PRACTICE AND PROMISE
The first full proposal for a standalone Culture Goal is now on the table. Presented in 2025 during the UCLG Culture Summit and MONDIACULT in Barcelona, the draft Culture Goal includes 10 targets and several indicators, offering a practical framework to make culture visible in future global development agendas.
In Tangier, the dialogue focused on how to move from proposal to reality and how cities can use the Goal to strengthen culturally informed, culturally relevant and culture-powered local development. Convened by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), in collaboration with UCLG, the session invited cities to contribute practical evidence from the ground. The aim is to show, before the 2027 SDG Summit and the post-2030 negotiations, that culture is not only valuable but also “goalable”: possible to integrate into global frameworks with clear targets, indicators and local implementation pathways.
More information: https://culture2030goal.net/