At a time when inequalities are deepening, trust in institutions is being tested and communities across the world are facing growing social, economic and climate pressures, local and regional governments continue to prove that without universal local public services, there is no equality, no democracy, no peace.
At the UCLG World Congress and World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders in Tangier, the international municipal movement will come together to reaffirm a collective commitment to advancing a new generation of universal local public services – services that are accessible, inclusive, high-quality and non-discriminatory, services that place people, dignity and care at the centre of public action.
Universal local public services are far more than systems of delivery. They are the indispensable everyday infrastructure of rights. They are how dignity is protected, inequalities are reduced, care is shared, communities are held together and public institutions prove their capacity to deliver.
From mobility and health to governance innovation and territorial implementation, the Congress programme dedicated to public services will highlight how local governments are building new models of service provision grounded in human rights, local democracy, feminist and care-centred governance, territorial justice and intergenerational responsibility.
The conversations throughout the Congress will explore how territories are shaping this transformation in practice.
Join the conversations
Tuesday 23 June
09:00 – 10:30 | Local4Action Dialogue: The MENA Urban Covenant: MENA Local Governments for the Next Generation of Public Services
Bringing together leaders from across the Middle East and North Africa, this dialogue will explore how territorial cooperation and locally driven governance models can strengthen public service delivery systems adapted to regional realities and emerging social challenges.
Wednesday 24 June
16:45 – 18:15 | Tangier-Morocco Track: The Health Approach at the Heart of Urban Sustainability and Food Security – Perspectives from the Global South
This session will focus on the growing connection between health, food systems and urban sustainability, showcasing how local governments are integrating health-centred approaches into territorial planning to build resilient and equitable communities.
Thursday 25 June
10:30 – 11:00 | Local4Action Launch: Guangzhou’s Electrified Transportation System: Delivering Green Mobility and Energy Security
Cities are leading the transition toward sustainable mobility systems. This launch will highlight how innovation in public transportation can strengthen local resilience, reduce emissions and accelerate the transition toward greener and more secure urban futures.
12:00 – 13:30 | Local4Action Lab: From Challenge to Practice: How Municipalities Turn Local Plans into Public Services
Policies only matter when they translate into everyday impact. This lab will showcase how municipalities transform political commitments into concrete services that improve daily life and demonstrate the transformative power of local governance.
In Tangier, local and regional governments will reaffirm that building a renewed social contract begins by strengthening the public institutions closest to people, ensuring that universal local public services remain the foundation of equality, democracy, care and peace for generations to come. Because we are the governments of proximity. We deliver rights through everyday essentials.
Further information
- See the agenda of the sessions
- Check out the overall program