The councillor of Granollers City Council, Àlvaro Ferrer, representing Mayors for Peace Europe, was present at the UCLG World Council 2024.

“Our pact for the future of humanity calls for stronger local involvement in peacebuilding, with a focus on diplomacy and conflict prevention.” With these words the mayor of The Hague, Jan Van Zanen, opened the first day of the World Council, held between the 8th and the 10th of October. This Council was intended to enable local and regional leaders to share their views on peace-building issues, highlighting the essential role of local governments as advocates of long-term lasting peace.

The session “Peace begins here: Local Solutions for Conflict” brought together various leaders and organizations from around the world, to work on the construction of peace at the local level and promote dialogue. Within the session the participants worked on the prevention of radicalisation and polarisation, urban violence, conflicts between communities, and migration.

The two panels on the political debate “Setting Trends in Local Governments” focused on those shared trends, challenges, and opportunities to renew local democracy and improve the effectiveness of local governance.

At the end of the day, the key events for the group during 2025 were announced: the 3rd Forum of Intermediate Cities in Cuenca (Ecuador) between the 22nd and the 23rd of January; and the 5th Forum of Cities and Territories of Peace in Montevideo (Uruguay) between the 2nd and 3rd of May.