AUDI Concludes Participation in the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) World Congress

29 Jun 2026

The Arab Urban Development Institute (AUDI)concluded its participation in the 8th UCLG World Congress, hosted in Tangier, Morocco, under the theme ” Advancing a New Generation of Universal Local Public Services.” The congress brought together approximately 3,000 ministers, mayors, experts, and business leaders from around the world. On the sidelines of the congress, AUDI’s Director General, His Excellency Dr. Anas Mofarreh Almughairy, held a series of bilateral meetings. In his first official meeting with the Mayor of Ramallah, Mr. Yaqoub Saadeh, since the latter assumed office, Dr. Almughairy reviewed AUDI’s programs in urban policy, the Arab Cities Academy, the Arab European Cities Dialogue Forum, and the online training programs the Institute plans to launch. H.E. also emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation between AUDI and the municipality and invited the mayor to participate in the Arab European Cities Dialogue Forum (AECD), scheduled to be held in Madrid in 2027. Dr. Almughairy also met with the Mayor of Rabat, Ms. Fatiha El Moudni, to review the Arab Cities Academy’s programs and training initiatives, highlighting the importance of expanding cooperation with the city of Rabat. In a separate meeting, he discussed with the Mayor of Baghdad, Eng. Ammar Moussa, mechanisms for cooperation between AUDI and the Baghdad Municipality in training programs, municipal meetings, and human resource development. In addition, AUDI Director General met with Mr. Fabrizio Rossi, Secretary General of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), and Mr. Ton Hauser, Director of the PLATFORMA. During the meeting, he reviewed AUDI’s programs under its new strategy and discussed the latest developments related to AECD. The participants also explored opportunities to develop training programs in partnership with accredited European institutions and proposed specialized programs to support young, elected officials in the municipal sector. AUDI also co-organized a dialogue session entitled “AECD 2027: The Next Chapter in Arab European Cities Cooperation,” which explored opportunities for cooperation between Arab and European cities and reviewed preparations for AECD, set to be held in Madrid in 2027.