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News & Events Event Reports

Sixth Global Summit: City-Led Online Harm Prevention and Mitigation

Publication Date:
22/01/2026
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Countering Online HarmsOnline Harm PreventionSixth Global SummitTorontoYouth Engagement

— 6 minutes reading time

This report provides a summary of discussions during the session and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Strong Cities Network Management Unit, Strong Cities members, event sponsors or participants.

Introduction

On 9 – 11 December 2025, the Strong Cities Network held its Sixth Global Summit in Toronto (Canada), bringing together more than 300 representatives of local governments, national governments, civil society organisations, academia, the private sector and international organisations. This included nearly 60 mayors and governors, as well as 110 other local government officials from 100 cities and 42 countries. Under the theme Stronger Together: Forging Safer, Connected, Thriving Cities in a Changing World, the Summit provided a platform for city leaders to share practical and innovative solutions to prevent and respond to hate, extremism and polarisation, and build safer, more resilient and more inclusive communities.

The Summit agenda included a parallel session on City-led Online Harm Prevention and Mitigation to highlight whole-of-society approaches and the role of city-level stakeholders, e.g., the mayor, other elected local officials, municipal councils, local police, schools and community-based organisations in addressing online harms writ large. The session showcased how cities are working with local companies, universities, or third-party tools to innovate grassroots-led approaches to promoting online safety in cities.

Scene-setters:

    Key Themes 

    1. Online Harms Are Undermining Democratic Trust and Civic Relationships

    Marco Pierini, Deputy Mayor, City of Montespertoli (Italy), underscored how online hostility is eroding the foundations of local democracy, particularly in small and rural cities increasingly exposed to polarising dynamics originating far beyond their borders. Social media has displaced traditional civic spaces, fragmenting relationships between residents and elected officials and normalising polarising interactions that make civil disagreement increasingly difficult.

    Pierini noted that local initiatives aimed at dialogue or peacebuilding often attract disproportionate online hate from individuals outside his community, leading to disrupted public events and heightened security concerns. These dynamics are increasingly threatening democratic processes by discouraging participation, hardening polarisation, and blurring the line between local governance challenges and national or global conflicts. As a result, cities are grappling with how to utilise local online and offline forums to rebuild trust and host community discussions to co-create solutions to ensure community safety and wellbeing.

    2. Whole-of-City Coalitions Are Essential to Addressing Online Harms

    Panellists underscored that cities cannot counter online harms in isolation. For example, Allison Hector-Alexander, Director of DEI, Region of Durham (Ontario, Canada), highlighted how the Region of Durham has responded to rising online and offline hate through Together Against Hate Durham, a whole-of-community coalition bringing together more than 30 organisations and 65 partners. Durham intentionally positioned community actors at the centre of its prevention and response plan, recognising that residents’ lived experiences are one of the most valuable assets to inform prevention policy and practice.

    The initiative combines data gathering, public awareness raising and policy development. Community conferences, attended by hundreds of residents, have informed concrete policy recommendations on resourcing hate prevention work, while posters, videos, and upstander-focused messaging equip residents to interrupt hate in everyday settings. This model demonstrates how coalition-building, shared ownership, and sustained funding can turn reactive responses into durable local infrastructure to mitigate online harms.

    3. Early Education and Youth Engagement Are Critical for Long-Term Resilience

    The panellist pointed to young people as both highly exposed to online harms and central to long-term prevention. Andrés De Las Alas-Pumariño Sela, General Coordinator, Sustainable Development and European Affairs, Municipality of Fuenlabrada (Spain), described Fuenlabrada’s investment in specialised teams working in schools to strengthen critical thinking, democratic resilience, and acceptance of pluralism, particularly in a fast-growing, diverse city facing political polarisation among youth.

    Allison Hector-Alexander reinforced the importance of digital citizenship education that speaks to young people in ways they understand, helping them learn how to disagree civilly and behave responsibly online. However, Deputy Mayor Pierini noted that cities often lack the tools or mandate to lead this work alone. The discussion highlighted the value of local, regional, and/or national alignment and partnerships with educators to ensure that online safety, media literacy, and civic values are embedded early in youth and sustained over time.

    4. Leadership, Consistency, and Trust Shape Effective City Responses Online

    Panellists stressed how and when leaders engage online matters. Allison Hector-Alexander emphasised that when online hate harms the wider community, it becomes a leadership responsibility. Panellists underscored that these instances are best addressed through coordinated decision-making with partners, clarity on what constitutes criminal behaviour, and accessible reporting pathways. This approach strengthens trust by demonstrating that local government is acting with, rather than on behalf of, the community.

    Panellists cautioned against reactive or performative engagement, noting that inconsistent responses can legitimise conflict and expose leaders to further targeting. Instead, they advocated for issue-by-issue judgment, bipartisan dialogue, and redirecting contentious debates into offline, face-to-face spaces where tensions often deescalate. Across contexts, panellists agreed that inspirational, values-driven leadership grounded in respect and consistency is critical to countering polarisation and rebuilding confidence in local institutions.

    Next Steps

    The session demonstrated the challenge cities face in addressing online harms and the steps they are taking to co-create and innovate solutions. It also reaffirmed online harms mitigation as a cornerstone of Strong Cities’ approach to support cities’ efforts to prevent hate, extremism and polarisation.

    Key next steps include:

    Additional Resources

    Recent Strong Cities policy briefs and resources:

    Donors & Partners

    The Sixth Global Summit was co-hosted with the City of Toronto and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, and delivered with generous support from the Government of Canada, The Fourth Freedom Forum, The Toronto Foundation and Charities Aid Foundation.

    Contact Information 

    For more information about the Sixth Global Summit or the Strong Cities Network, please contact [email protected].

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    Copyright © Institute for Strategic Dialogue (2024). The Strong Cities Network is hosted by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), a company limited by guarantee, registered office address PO Box 75769, London, SW1P 9ER. ISD is registered in England with company registration number 06581421 and registered charity number 1141069. All Rights Reserved