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Sixth Global Summit: How Foreign Information Operations Target States, Cities and Local Communities

Publication Date:

22/01/2026

Content Type:

Event Reports

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Crisis ResponseDisinformationForeign information operationsMisinformationSixth Global SummitToronto

— 2 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 included a lunchtime presentation on how foreign information operations target states, cities and local communities. Led by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue‘s David Salvo and Bret Schafer, the presentation underscored that, although information operations are typically considered to be a national or international issue, the on-the-ground effects are often felt at the subnational level. They pointed to multiple examples across the United States, Canada and Europe of state-backed actors using social media platforms to smear local politicians, industries, and diaspora groups that they view as a threat to their strategic interests. But they also noted that even in cases where cities are not the primary target, they often bear the costs, especially in moments of crisis. They highlighted examples of threat actors infiltrating protest movements, exploiting natural disaster responses, and co-opting local outlets and influencers.

A central theme of the presentation was that these operations are not limited to election periods and require persistent and consistent efforts from cities to defend against foreign efforts to polarise, radicalise and destabilise communities. The presenters also emphasised the need to continue raising awareness among local governments of how these operations target and impact their communities and the role cities can play in addressing these threats. This includes strengthening city-to-city cooperation, including by leveraging Strong Cities and other relevant subnational networks, especially given the unpredictable support from other levels of government.

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].

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