Ten days ahead of the G7 Summit in Evian (France), the engagement group for cities (U7), met in Nancy from 2 to 4 June 2026.  The U7 brought together mayors and local leaders from G7 countries and welcomed the participation of international organisations working on local democracy and multilevel governance such as the United Nations (UN-Habitat / UNECE), the OECD and the Congress of local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. Discussions focused on urban resilience, multilevel governance and support for Ukrainian cities and led to the adoption of a declaration that will be presented to the G7.

This declaration calls on G7 leaders to position cities as custodians of peace, democracy, and global solidarity amid mounting global pressures. It also welcomes the formal recognition of U7 within the G7 process.

The Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Mathieu Mori, participated in the U7 and addressed the Ukraine Recovery Workshop. He reaffirmed the Congress’s unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s recovery and democratic resilience.

On the margins of the discussion, a Convergence Meeting on Urban Multilateralism brought together Anacláudia Rossbach, UN-Habitat Executive Director; Tatiana Molcean, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe; Mathieu Mori Secretary General of the Congress of the Council of Europe and city networks to discuss how to further the integration of cities in international organisations.