Strong Cities
Fourth Global Summit

Widening the Lens: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to City-Led Prevention and Response to Hate and Extremism

The Summit started with a full-day event in partnership with Columbia SIPA on innovations, approaches and lessons that local governments can apply from other sectors, such as climate change, data, technology and urban development, to the prevention of hate and extremism.

International Steering Committee Meeting

The Summit featured the first meeting of Strong Cities’ revitalised International Steering Committee, which is co-chaired by Mayor Asmaa Rhlalou of Rabat (Morocco) and Mayor Jan Van Zanen of The Hague (The Netherlands). The Committee endorsed Strong Cities’ three-year strategy and several proposals for new initiatives, including the formation of a Women’s Leadership Caucus and a “Friends of Strong Cities” group that will allow the network to deepen and expand cooperation with multilateral bodies, other city networks, local government associations and other key stakeholders.

Unlocking the Potential of Cities to Address Hate Speech

The roundtable on the role of local governments in addressing hate speech, was co-organised with UNOCT and the UNOSAPG in light of the growing number of mayors and other city officials who have voiced concern to Strong Cities about the rising levels of hate in their communities, the potential for hate speech in particular to manifest into violence and challenges with mounting an effective response amidst its rapid spread – often fuelled by misinformation – via social media.

Enhancing Global-Local Cooperation: Realising the Potential of Mayors and Local Governments in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism

The dialogue with the GCTF presented a rare opportunity for GCTF national-level representatives to hear directly from and engage with city leaders on their approaches to addressing hate and extremism in their cities, the challenges they face and the support they need to enhance their work. Local leaders from cities in Botswana, Tanzania and Uganda spoke about their prevention efforts as part of a wider conversation about the role of African mayors in addressing hate and extremism. City leaders from Bangladesh, Germany, Kenya and Libya then contributed to a discussion about operationalising and sustaining inclusive, city-led approaches to prevention. R

Mayoral Meeting

Hosted by Eric Adams, Mayor of New York City

The Mayoral Meeting convened 150+ mayors, governors and other local leaders from across the world at Gracie Mansion (the official residence of the Mayor of the City of New York), to spotlight their role in addressing hate, extremism and polarisation. In his opening remarks, New York City Mayor Adams highlighted the whole-of-city efforts to foster social cohesion and prevent hate crimes in what is one of the biggest and most diverse cities in the world. Through a series of keynote remarks and panel discussions, mayors from nearly two dozen cities around the globe shared their experiences, successes and challenges in building resilient, inclusive and ‘strong’ cities.

Whole-of-City Approach to Preventing Hate & Extremism: The New York City Model

The Global Summit ended with a half-day workshop on Whole-of-City Models for Prevention, held in partnership with NYU’s Center for Global Affairs and New York City’s OPHC, which coordinates multiple city agencies and community-based partners to reduce hate crime and related harms in what is one of the world’s most diverse and largest cities. This event was inspired by both OPHC’s achievements and the innovative multi-actor efforts that other cities across Strong Cities’ membership and beyond are deploying to address hate, extremism and polarisation, and to foster inclusive and resilient communities. The workshop featured a series of panels in which local government representatives were invited to share their successes and challenges with such efforts.