G7 Cities Adopt the Nancy Declaration

"For two days in Nancy, cities from around the world shared their experiences and solutions in the face of the great challenges of our time. One conclusion is clear: local authorities are on the front line and have an essential role to play. The message we carry is unambiguous: cities must be fully involved in the decisions that shape our common future. With the Nancy Declaration, we put forward concrete proposals and intend to make them heard by G7 leaders.” — declared Mathieu Klein, Mayor of Nancy and President of the Métropole du Grand Nancy, Vice-President of France urbaine.

More than 200 participants gathered in Nancy on 3 and 4 June, from over 15 countries. Notable participants included: Eckart Würzner (Mayor of Heidelberg, head of the German delegation), Kizo Hisamoto (Mayor of Kobe, head of the Japanese delegation), Serhii Morhunov (Mayor of Vinnytsia, Nancy’s twin city since 2023), Dilpreet Sidhu (Deputy Mayor for Los Angeles), Elle Bisgaard-Church (Chief of Staff to New York City Mayor), alongside the Presidency of France urbaine and Mathieu Klein. Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director of UN-Habitat and Tatiana Molcean, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Aziza Akhmouch, Head of the Cities, Urban Policies and Sustainable Development division at the OECD, and Mathieu Mori, Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, among other high-level representatives from international organisations also took part in the proceedings.

The session dedicated to Ukrainian cities was one of the highlights of the Summit. Several mayors shared first-hand accounts of fulfilling their responsibilities in times of war: maintaining public services, protecting populations, and upholding democratic continuity under extreme conditions. With the conflict now entering its fifth year, participants underscored the importance of ensuring that the voices of these elected officials are fully heard — voices that carry a concrete and essential experience for thinking about territorial resilience today and reconstruction tomorrow.

The Nancy Declaration welcomes the decision by the French G7 Presidency to recognise Urban7 as an official engagement group — a historic first within the G7’s architecture. For 25 years, the G7 has engaged through these working groups with actors from civic, economic and civil society actors: this status confirms the full legitimacy of local elected officials and cities in international dialogue.

The Summit was prepared from late 2025 by France urbaine, in coordination with the Urban7 Executive Secretariat, co-led by ICLEI — Local Governments for Sustainability and the Global Parliament of Mayors, the City of Nancy and the Métropole du Grand Nancy. The scientific coordination of this summit was provided by the City Diplomacy Lab.

Jean-Luc Moudenc, President of France urbaine, Mayor of Toulouse and President of Toulouse Métropole, and Nathalie Appéré, First Vice-President of France urbaine, Mayor of Rennes and President of Rennes Métropole, declared:

"This Nancy Summit marks a turning point: for the first time, the voice of cities is fully recognised by the G7. Through France urbaine, we have championed this alliance, this unique capacity to cooperate across borders and to transform crises into concrete solutions. With the Nancy Declaration, we affirm that cities are not only on the front line — they are strategic partners, agents of resilience and essential pillars of our democracies. This voice must now endure, at the heart of the decisions that shape our common future — on climate, migration, housing, health, energy, artificial intelligence, democracy and peace. Cities are ready to fully embrace this role.”

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is a global network working with more than 2500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. Active in 125+ countries, we influence sustainability policy and drive local action for low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development.