Report by Ms. Lorena Schlicht, Mayors for Peace France (AFCDRP)
The 15th edition of the “International Action Meetings of Local Governments” (RAICT), organized by Cités Unies France, took place on October 23-24, 2024, at the Pavillon d’Armenonville in Paris, gathering over 500 participants from more than 20 countries. This event serves as a key platform for discussing territorial internationalization and decentralized cooperation.
El Hadj Mahmoud, Elected Official Delegate for International Cooperation and Culture of Peace at the City of Noisy-le-Sec and representative of Mayors for Peace France, spoke at the workshop on “Parliamentary Diplomacy/Diplomacy of Local Authorities.” Local diplomatic action, once reserved for national governments, is increasingly becoming a local prerogative. Networks of cities, like Cités Unies France and UCLG, highlight the need for local actors to have global representation and influence in international relations. Amid rising global conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine, local governments continue to maintain open dialogue and cooperation even in challenging contexts. Past initiatives, like the post-WWII Franco-German partnerships and the twinning of Palestinian cities following the Oslo Accords, illustrate the peace-building potential of local partnerships. This workshop provided a geopolitical update on current conflicts and explored the peace-building role of local governments.
El Hadj emphasized the growing role of local governments in international diplomacy, particularly in sensitive and crisis regions like the Sahel (Africa). He shared insights from Noisy-le-Sec’s “Sport and Peace” project with Mayors for Peace France on August 6, 2024, which brought together hundreds of young people around the themes of coexistence and mutual respect, with Palestinian athletes also participating. El Hadj Mahmoud also highlighted the success of cross-border mobility initiatives, such as the project in Marrakech, where young people from different backgrounds traveled together to Morocco, fostering unity through shared experiences.
Additionally, he discussed the importance of the 80th commemoration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 2025, emphasizing that transmitting the memory of these events to young people is crucial for peacebuilding efforts.
Photo: courtesy of Mayors for Peace France