On October 3, the European Chapter of Mayors for Peace co-organized and participated in a side event at the UNECE Forum of Mayors “Urban Peace Dialogues: When Mayors Become Architects of Peace”, together with the City Diplomacy Lab, a project of the Columbia Global Centers.

This international initiative aimed to discuss and motivate cities’ engagement in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 16: «To promote peace, justice and strong institutions».

Six European mayors and deputy mayors from the cities of Rome, Malmö, Gent, Braga, Vitry-sur-Seine and Granollers presented a photo and an explanation that detailed an initiative taken by their city in order to facilitate a multilevel dialogue on urban violence and conflict prevention, to raise awareness related to the innovative value of conflict prevention practices in urban areas and to create a united front of cities actively involved in participatory conflict prevention practices.

Mayor Alba Barnusell, from the city of Granollers, president of the European Chapter of Mayors for Peace explained that peace is strongly linked to sustainable development and that without peace it is not possible to achieve all the other goals.

She continued explaining that we cannot ignore that we are meeting in difficult times and continue threats. She mentioned the escalation of nuclear threats, the dramatic re-balancing of the international system and the unprecedented environmental, social and economic changes, that put living conditions of the citizens at risk.

The Director of the City Diplomacy Lab, Lorenzo Kihlgren, asked the table how to strengthen the voice and action of cities to prevent the outbreak of new conflicts. Proposed solutions introduced the city diplomacy and global partnership. Cooperation between cities, networking and city diplomacy are an essential resource to achieve these goals. The solidarity and strengthening of links between cities and territories allow us to go beyond the actions of states.

Watch video of the session here: https://youtu.be/R-2JSx_bhvw?si=xB919UTZJ08HJRq_