05/06/2026
UNECE welcomes the URBAN7’s Nancy Declaration and reaffirms cities’ key role in addressing global challenges at the 2026 Urban7 ( ) Mayors’ Summit in Nancy, France. In the Declaration, to be transmitted to the French G7 Presidency ahead of the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Évian on 15-17 June, Mayors affirmed the essential role of cities in shaping and responding to key issues on the global agenda.
UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean emphasized the key role of cities in meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement and underscored the recognition of the Urban7 as an official G7 engagement group and the Declaration’s acknowledgment of the UN Forum of Mayors’ contribution to multilevel governance.
The Declaration outlines a number of priority areas where UNECE support is making a tangible contribution:
🔸 Multilevel governance, dialogue and stronger cooperation across levels of government: UNECE’S Forum of Mayors, a unique UN body, created in 2020 and formally integrated into UN’s architecture, brings Mayors at the core of multilateral dialogue.
🔸 Housing policy and urban development challenges: as a core area of UNECE’s intergovernmental work for almost 80 years, it is reflected in the 2025 UNECE Ministerial Commitments on Housing Affordability and Sustainability and UNECE Country Profiles on Housing, Land Management and Urban Development.
🔸Urban resilience: UNECE efforts including support for the Podgorica 2040 Masterplan in Montenegro and the development of urban resilience projects focused on climate resilience, mobility, public spaces, economic development, and urban regeneration.
🔸Mayors’ support for Ukraine: UNECE’s initiative contributes at the national level – through the adoption of the Law on the Fundamental Principles of Housing Policy and the preparation of the State Housing Policy Strategy – and at the city level – with pilots projects for the cities of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv.
Photo credit: Ville de Nancy
