U7 Mayors Summits
Mayors Summit 2026
2-4 June, Nancy, France
The 2026 Urban7 (U7) Mayors’ Summit will take place from 2–4 June 2026 in Nancy, France, ahead of the G7 Leaders’ Summit. This edition marks a major milestone, as the Urban7 has been formally recognised as an official G7 Engagement Group, reinforcing the role of cities and regions in shaping global policy agendas.
Hosted under the French G7 Presidency, the Summit will bring together mayors, local and regional leaders, national associations and international partners to exchange, align and deliver joint political messages to the G7. Participants will work collaboratively to develop policy recommendations and a joint declaration, feeding directly into the G7 process and contributing to discussions at the highest political level.
The Summit focused on advancing the ecological transition and accelerating climate action, while also addressing social cohesion and democratic governance in an increasingly complex global context. It further explored how cities and regions can strengthen territorial resilience and play a more structured and recognised role in global governance processes, building on their newly formalised position within the G7.
The 2026 edition represented a turning point for the Urban7, as cities and regions are now institutionalised within the G7 process as an official engagement group. This recognition strengthens multilevel governance and reinforces cooperation between local, national and global actors. It also ensures that global strategies are better grounded in local realities, where policies are ultimately implemented and where their impact is most directly felt.
The Summit delivered a U7 Mayors’ Declaration reflecting shared priorities across cities in G7 countries and beyond, alongside concrete policy recommendations to inform G7 Leaders’ discussions. It also contributes to strengthening urban diplomacy and fostering long-term international cooperation among local and regional governments.
Have a look at the U7 Summit programme
Read the latest press release in English Read the Nancy Declaration
Host and partners
The Summit was organised by France urbaine, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, the Global Parliament of Mayors, the City of Nancy and the Greater Nancy Metropolitan Authority.
Supporters
The Summit was supported financially by French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the German Marshall Fund, and benefits from the scientific coordination of City Diplomacy Lab.
Institutional partners
French Network of Urban Planning Agencies (FNAU), MEDEF International – Sustainable City Task Force, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the city of Paris, Sciences Po (Ecole urbaine & Crisis Lab), Youth7, and 27e Région.
Previous events
Mayors Summit 2025
29 April - Kobe, Japan
Local leaders from G7 countries gathered in Kobe for the fourth Urban7 (U7) Mayors' Summit, alongside the Kobe City Global Conference marking the 30th anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. The Summit reinforced the critical role of cities and regions in shaping G7 discussions and tackling global challenges with local impact.
Mayors underscored the importance of rules-based international engagement, strong partnerships between levels of governments, and the crucial role of cities in building these partnerships, supporting peace and democracy, and delivering aid and expertise to war-ravaged communities such as in Ukraine. Their discussions will culminate in a joint declaration which will be shared with G7 leaders later this year in cooperation with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), chairing the U7 during the G7 presidency of Canada.
Mayors Summit 2023
2 March Tokyo, Japan, and online
G7 mayors gathered in Tokyo and online for the third annual U7 Mayors Summit. The city leaders discussed their vision for the role of cities in the G7 process as Japan takes on the G7 presidency. They presented their Mayors Declaration 2023, which was drafted collaboratively by the national city networks of the G7 members and the U7 Secretariat. In the following days, the Declaration was handed over to Mr. Kenji Yamada, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Japan.
The U7 Mayors Summit 2023 was hosted by the Japan Designated City Mayors’ Association (JDCMA), with support from the U7 Secretariat (ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and the Global Parliament of Mayors).
Mayors Gather in Tokyo for Third U7 Mayors Summit (press release)
Progress towards an equitable world – this was the goal of the German G7 Presidency in 2022. The cities of the G7 – together with their global partners – are the driving forces working for equitable, sustainable and democratic development. The Urban7 Group Alliance, consisting of the Association of German Cities, the Global Parliament of Mayors, and ICLEI, hosted the U7 Mayors Summit with the theme “Embracing the Urban World: Cities as Drivers of Change for Peace, Democracy and Sustainability.” The event took place online on 3 May 2022 and was open to all interested participants.
The U7 Mayors Summit 2022 brought together high-level representatives of the German G7 Presidency with representatives of national city associations and international city networks as well as mayors from the G7 and the Global South.
The U7 Mayors Summit 2022 became the most significant event of cities in the framework of the German G7 Presidency. Mayors from the G7 and the Global South formulated their expectations for the G7 Presidency and at the same time made it clear that progress for a just world could only be realised in and with strong cities. At the U7 Mayors Summit, the U7 Mayors Declaration was adopted and handed over to the G7 Presidency.
U7 Secretariat 2026:
