The resumed session of the fifth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2) was adjourned in the morning of 15 August. Described by many as the last good chance to conclude negotiations on a global plastic pollution treaty, it opened on 5 August. The GCH remains confident the treaty will be adopted and will continue working to ensure LRGs are fully recognised in the final text.
The GCH participated to the second edition of the Arab Mayors’ Academy, which took place on 6–7 August 2025 at the UN House in Beirut, Lebanon. This year the central topic was institutionalizing SDG Localization. Aligning cities’ actions with global and regional agendas is increasingly important.
On 23 July, the Global Cities Hub, UNOHCHR, the Geneva Human Rights Platform, and UCLG co-organized a full-day workshop, under the theme “Enhancing national reporting and implementation of human rights through coordinated engagement at the local and regional levels: the role of NMIRFs.” The event brought together a wide range of actors to exchange on how to better integrate LRGs into the international human rights system, which has historically been centred on State actors.
At the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in New York the 2025 Local and Regional Governments Forum (LRGF) and the Special Event of the Local2030 Coalition take place today.
Created in April 2024, the Local and Subnational Governments (LSNG) Coalition unites local and subnational governments, city networks and other organizations to push for urgent collective action at all levels of government and society to address the environmental and health hazards posed by plastic pollution.
The GCH in cooperation with WeGo and ITU organized the Smart City Leaders’ Talk on “Safe smart cities and climate frustration”. This is a highly important topic because a people-centered smart city approach means finding answers to peoples’ needs – and a climate conscious sustainable urban future is clearly one of them.
The Global Cities Hub and the Association Internationale des Maires Francophones (AIMF) have renewed their Memorandum of Understanding framing their ongoing collaboration.
Geneva will host the second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-5.2). The LSNG Coalition has mobilized ahead of the event to ensure that local and regional governments are heard.
On 30 June – 2 July 2025, GCH attended the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in Sevilla to promote the localization of financing for development and better access of Local and Regional Governments (LRGs) to national and international financial resources.
On the occasion of the adoption of the report of the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Italy at the United Nations in Geneva on 30 June 2025, a reception was held at the Global Cities Hub. It offered a moment to celebrate the closing of Italy’s fourth UPR cycle and to highlight Italian-led initiatives aimed at strengthening local engagement in human rights.
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