News & Events Event Reports

Sixth Global Summit: Climate Change, Social Cohesion and Local Resilience

Publication Date:

22/01/2026

Content Type:

Event Reports

Share:

Tags:

Climate Changecommunity resilienceSixth Global SummitSocial CohesionToronto

— 6 minutes reading time

This report provides a summary of discussions during this 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 Climate Change, Social Cohesion and Local Resilience that focused on the growing recognition across the Network that climate change is a critical structural driver of social stress, inequality, displacement and community tension. The session brought together local government representatives from Canada, South Africa, Kenya and Europe to explore how climate-related shocks are reshaping social cohesion at the local level, and how municipalities – often the closest and most visible level of government – are responding to overlapping environmental, social and governance challenges.

Key Takeaways

1. Climate change acts as a threat multiplier, exacerbating existing inequalities and vulnerabilities within cities and communities and increasing risks of displacement, competition over land and resources and community tension.
2. Local governments are the first point of contact during climate-related crises, regardless of formal mandates, placing significant strain on municipal capacity and resources.
3. Social cohesion, trust and community relationships are as critical to the climate resilience of cities and communities as physical infrastructure and emergency response systems.
4. There is an urgent need for cities to shift from reactive crisis response toward mitigation, preparedness and community-based resilience.

Key Themes 

1. Climate Change as a Driver of Inequality and Social Stress

Participants highlighted that climate impacts disproportionately affect communities already facing social and economic marginalisation. Some noted that climate shocks often compound deep structural inequalities, with extreme weather events intensifying existing vulnerabilities rather than affecting communities evenly.

Flooding, drought and extreme weather were described as increasingly frequent and unpredictable, including in areas previously considered low risk. Nondumiso Twalo, Senior Manager at the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), reflected on recent flooding in Durban, explaining that rivers have returned to historical flood paths after decades of urban development in areas assumed to be safe. This has left communities exposed and underscored the long-term consequences of environmentally unsustainable land use.

Participants identified climate-related displacement as a major social cohesion challenge. When communities are forced into temporary accommodation – such as community halls or emergency shelters – new protection, safety and dignity concerns often emerge, particularly for women and children.

Philomena Bineah Kapkory, Deputy Governor of Trans-Nzoia County (Kenya), emphasised that climate pressures intersect closely with land governance, political dynamics and identity-based tensions. She shared how environmental degradation and flooding have forced communities to relocate from wetlands and forested areas, often triggering resistance from host communities.

Speakers highlighted that relocation efforts frequently take on political, ethnic or tribal dimensions, particularly where land is scarce or historically contested. Questions around who belongs where and who has legitimate access to land can quickly escalate tensions if not addressed through inclusive dialogue and transparent decision-making.

Discussions highlighted how climate-induced movement – whether internal or cross-border – should be understood as a social cohesion issue, not solely an environmental or humanitarian one, requiring trust-building, mediation and community engagement.

2. The Central Role of Local Government

Across regions, participants agreed that municipalities become the default responders during climate-related crises, regardless of whether climate adaptation, housing or disaster response formally sit at national or provincial levels. They noted that in moments of crisis, residents turn first to local authorities because they are the most accessible and visible level of government. As a Halifax (Canada) city official shared, when people do not know where to turn, they call their local government.

This reality places significant pressure on cities, particularly those with limited resources, and highlights the need for more coordination among local, national and international actors, as well as sustained investment in local capacity.

3. Engagement, Access and Meeting People Where They Are

A recurring theme throughout the session was the high financial and social cost, including to local governments, of reactive approaches. Participants emphasised that cities are often locked into cycles of response, leaving little space or funding for long-term planning. As one participant shared, “[r]esponse is very expensive… we are forever responding. It’s only now that we’re moving towards a culture of mitigation”.

Participants highlighted examples of more preventative and community-centred approaches, including the use of community-based response teams that disseminate early warnings through trusted local networks and locally tailored risk assessments that reflect specific municipal contexts.

Dedicated climate financing mechanisms were also highlighted as critical enablers. A Canadian example described a municipal climate tax that could be leveraged for mitigation, recognising that investing in prevention is ultimately far less costly than repeated emergency response.

Participants cautioned against solutions that fail to account for local realities. One illustrated this by explaining that promoting cleaner energy sources without addressing affordability can unintentionally deepen inequality, as free or familiar resources are replaced with options that require cash many residents do not have.

Several participants also highlighted the value of indigenous and traditional knowledge in shaping more resilient approaches to land use, housing and environmental stewardship.

Next Steps

The session reinforced the relevance of climate change to Strong Cities’ prevention and social cohesion agenda. Building on the discussion, key next steps for the Network include:

• Integrating climate considerations, where relevant, into prevention frameworks, recognising climate change can be a structural driver of social stress, displacement and polarisation.
• Supporting cities to strengthen community-based resilience, including trust-building, early warning systems and inclusive crisis response mechanisms.
• Facilitating peer learning across regions, enabling cities to share practical approaches to managing climate-related displacement, land tensions and inequality.
• Advocating for stronger national–local cooperation, ensuring municipalities have the authority, resources and support needed to respond effectively to climate shocks.
• Linking climate resilience to broader Strong Cities priorities, including social cohesion, inclusion and community trust.

The session underscored that climate change is not only an environmental challenge but a profound social cohesion issue with direct implications for local stability, trust and inclusion. As climate impacts intensify, cities are increasingly required to manage displacement, inequality and community tensions alongside emergency response. The discussion further highlighted the importance of integrating climate resilience into broader prevention and governance efforts. By centring local leadership, community relationships and inclusive planning, cities can move beyond reactive crisis management toward more resilient, preventative and socially cohesive responses to climate risk.

Additional Resources

Recent Strong Cities policy briefs and resources:

• City Leadership in Partnering with Local Communities for Social Cohesion: Ten Considerations for Mayors and Local Governments, Strong Cities Network, 2025
• National-Local Cooperation: Opportunities and Lessons Learned for Secondary and Tertiary Prevention, Strong Cities Network, 2025
• City Leadership in the Face of Rising Incivility and Polarisation: Ten Considerations for Mayors and Local Governments, Strong Cities Network, 2025
• Innovations in Prevention: Piloting Multi-Actor Frameworks in Small and Mid-Sized Cities in the United States, Strong Cities Network, 2025
• A Toolkit for Cities: Building a Multi-Actor Local Prevention Framework, Strong Cities Network, 2025
• A Toolkit for Manitoba Municipalities: Addressing Anti-Government Hate and Harassment, Strong Cities Network, 2025
• A Guide for Cities: Preventing Hate, Extremism & Polarisation, Strong Cities Network, updated 2025
• A Guide for Mayors: Preventing and Responding to Hate, Extremism & Polarisation, Strong Cities Network, updated 2025
• A Guide for City-Led Response, Strong Cities Network, May 2024
• City Spotlights Library, Strong Cities Network

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].

News & EVENTS

Stay up to date with recent news, articles and event reports

News & Events

Looking for something in our Resource Hub?

Or explore all resources

Nominated for Best Animated Short at Cannes

Watch now

Join US

Looking to become a Strong City?

Get in touch