From June 22 to 25, 2026, Tangier hosted the UCLG Congress and World Summit of Local and Regional Governments, one of the year’s most significant gatherings for local and regional governments worldwide. SDG Local Action, co-organized with United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), set up the SDG Corner: an exhibition and conversation space designed to show, in concrete and accessible terms, how cities are contributing to the 2030 Agenda by innovating public services.
Over the four days of the congress, more than 2,000 people passed through the exhibition, which brought together experiences from 30 cities around the world, featured along an interactive wall where visitors could scan QR codes and discover, behind each door, a city’s story and its local solution to local challenges.
Explore the featured city initiatives here
Fifteen cities, four continents
During three days, the SDG Corner hosted 15 presentations from mayors and local leaders spanning four continents, weaving together sessions on climate, culture, health, jobs, finance, housing, and inclusion.
View the full agenda here:
- The first day, June 23, opened with Florence Namayanja, Mayor of Masaka City Council, speaking on climate justice and local action, followed by Seydina Issa Laye Samb, Mayor of the Commune of Yoff, on culture as a public service. At midday, Yousef Abdullah Al Shawarbeh, Mayor of Greater Amman Municipality, addressed the digitalization of local public services, and Carlos de Freitas, Executive Director of the Global Fund for Cities Development (FMDV), closed the day with a session on transformative local finance.
- The second day, June 24, began with Rayyan Hussein, Executive Chairman of Kaduna South Local Government, discussing health as a public service. At midday, Ammar M. Kadhim, Mayor of Baghdad, spoke on urban recovery and resilience. In the afternoon, Hans Sakkers, Strategic Advisor to the Municipality of Utrecht, addressed community mental health services; Jimena Niño Caceres, District Advisor for International Relations of the Bogotá City Council, presented on sustainable local transportation; and Rodrigo Ceballos Bisso, Secretary of International Relations for the Province of Córdoba, closed with a session on local digital rights.
- The final day, June 25, opened with Berry Vrbanovic, Mayor of the City of Kitchener, speaking on youth co-governance, followed by Mario Bergara, Mayor of Montevideo, on inclusive social housing. At midday, Jack Saadeh, Mayor of Ramallah Municipality, addressed universal basic services, and Uğur İbrahim Altay, Mayor of Konya Metropolitan Municipality, spoke on food systems and food security. The afternoon covered women’s economic empowerment and sustainable waste management, conflict prevention and inclusive cities, and closed with Gil Milena Grueso Romero, Mayor of Guapi, on public spaces as tools for inclusion and democratic participation.
Stories from the Mayors Challenge
Four winners of the Mayors Challenge winners took the stage at the SDG Corner, sharing what they have been learning during their innovation journey.
- In As-Salt, Jordan, Mayor Ali Al-Bataineh introduced the Heritage Buildings Restoration Training Center, transforming over 497 heritage buildings into a youth employment and skills development pathway. The program aims to train over 200 youth, restore over 100 buildings, and create 30+ new ventures by 2028 by teaching traditional restoration crafts, linking cultural preservation with economic opportunity.
- In Beira, Mozambique, Jacinta Luis dos Remedios explained how the city is building sustainable livelihoods for its coastal fishing communities, vulnerable to cyclones and flooding. The initiative includes better fishing infrastructure, cold storage, market access, and disaster risk reduction, with a focus on women in fish processing and trade.
- In Benin City, Nigeria, Osaro Osa Eribo, Acting Chairman of the Egor Local Government Area, introduced CONTRAconnect, a platform to address the gap where one in five women of reproductive age want but cannot access modern contraceptives due to distance, stigma, or shortages. Combining kiosks and a digital referral system, it enrolled 4,551 women and served 3,051 within a month, with a 95% referral success rate, aiming to reach 250,000 women by 2027.
- In Kanifing, The Gambia, Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda introduced a youth-led waste collection and recycling model to address two issues: 60% of households left unreached by traditional trucks and high youth unemployment, which is pushing young Gambians toward irregular migration. By deploying youth on door-to-door tricycle routes, the model tripled proper waste sorting in its pilot phase, with plans to expand to over 140 youth, serve 10,000 households, and form 19 ward-level cooperatives.
Key results
The SDG Corner drew strong engagement throughout the congress: more than 1,000 participants actively engaged with the space, out of a total congress attendance of over 3,000, with an estimated 500 to 600 passive visitors passing by each day. That volume of foot traffic turned the corner into one of the congress’s de facto meeting points, giving the Mayors Challenge cities and the other presenting delegations a level of visibility that a standalone side event rarely achieves, and putting local government solutions in front of an audience. During the SDG Corner, more than 50 recorded city stories were also generated, extending the network of practitioners and institutions that the program can draw on for future collaborations.
Online, the SDG Local Action website recorded 2,250 views and over 1,000 unique users during the event period, with the dedicated cities section drawing 428 views from 340 unique users.
Voices from local and regional governments
Throughout the Congress, the SDG Local Action team recorded interviews and testimonials with mayors and local elected officials from cities around the world. These videos document practical experiences on how local governments are improving public services and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals at the local level.
The videos address this question:
How are local governments turning local challenges into innovative public service solutions?
Click here to view the full event video playlist
About the UCLG Congress and World Summit
The triennial UCLG Congress and World Summit is the flagship gathering for cities, regions, and their associations. The 2026 event convened over 3,000 mayors, governors, councilors, civil society partners, and international representatives. The summit aims to foster networked multilateralism, driven by local governments in partnership with their communities, and to leverage public service delivery as an instrument for sustainable change.