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Transatlantic Dialogue Initiative: Maintaining Community Cohesion in the Midst of Global Crises — The Role of Mayors and Cities

— 5 minutes reading time

Description: The Strong Cities Network convened more than 40 mayors and local government practitioners as well as national government, civil society and multilateral representatives from Germany, Central and Eastern Europe and North America to share experiences, lessons learned and good practices in maintaining social cohesion in the midst of global crises such as migration, climate change and the Russia-Ukraine war, among others.

Where & When:  6 – 7 March 2024, Bratislava, Slovakia

Partners: City of Bratislava and Partners for Democratic Change Slovakia

Local Governments presenting:

City Associations Represented:

Partners Represented:

For Mayors & Cities:

For Strong Cities:

Next Steps

This workshop is part of a larger effort by Strong Cities to bring European and North American cities together to discuss shared threats and inspire one another with innovative city-led solutions. Findings from this conference will inform our ongoing Transatlantic Dialogue Initiative, which will continue in 2024 in Strasbourg (France) in May, Stockholm (Sweden) in June, and Columbus (Ohio, United States) in September.

Findings from this workshop will also strengthen Strong Cities existing guides: one for mayors on mayoral leadership in prevention and response, the other for local government practitioners on how to enhance and sustain city-led prevention efforts. They will also inform an updated list of Transatlantic Dialogue Initiative findings and recommendations for 2024. 

In addition to Strong Cities’ guidance on ten considerations for mayors and cities in the wake of global crises, the Network will explore developing further resources to address key needs and priorities identified during the workshop. This will include guidance on how cities can address hate, polarisation and mis/disinformation during elections, as well as tools for enhancing digital hygiene internally within city governments and among communities.

Strong Cities will also build on the Memorandum of Understanding it signed with the Global Parliament of Mayors to jointly support mayors and other local leaders to strengthen their approaches and elevate their voices at the national, regional and global levels in the prevention of hate, polarisation and violent extremism.

Downloads

Event Report