UCLG-MEWA participated in the Mediterranean Climate Summit, organized by Muğla Metropolitan Municipality and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, held in Menteşe, Muğla, from 28 to 30 September 2026. The summit gathered local leaders, international partners, and climate experts to strengthen cooperation and advance inclusive urban resilience across the Mediterranean.
UCLG-MEWA played a central role throughout the summit. In the panel “A Mediterranean in Transition: Climate Change and the Challenges Facing Cities,” Yousef Zuhair Hamed Aljabari, Mayor of Al-Khalil and President of UCLG-MEWA, underscored that climate resilience in Al-Khalil is not only an environmental issue but also a matter of water security, mobility, and essential municipal services under severe physical and political constraints. He stressed that meaningful climate action cannot be achieved through projects alone, pointing to the need for resilient infrastructure, water security, and the freedom for municipal authorities to safely and predictably reach all residents despite movement restrictions.
In the panel “From Shared Challenges to Regional Action: Strengthening Mediterranean Cooperation,” Dr. Mehmet Duman, Secretary General of UCLG-MEWA, highlighted that the Middle East and West Asia face severe shared climate vulnerabilities, ranging from extreme heat and water scarcity to rapid urbanization and displacement. He called for structured city-to-city partnerships, joint resilience projects, and peer-to-peer knowledge exchange, while emphasizing the importance of addressing resource disparities for small and secondary municipalities through localized, demand-driven capacity building and leveraging UCLG-MEWA’s thematic committees to ensure all local governments are included in global climate agendas and finance platforms.
On the second day, UCLG-MEWA, WALD, and other regional and international partners convened the Towards COP31: Local Climate Action Policy Dialogue, “Local Leadership, Inclusive Urban Resilience and Sustainable Transformation,” hosted by the Muğla Metropolitan Municipality. The opening session brought together local and international leaders to discuss local climate action, urban resilience, and sustainable transition. Speeches were delivered by Ahmet Aras, Mayor of Muğla; Babatunde Ahonsi, UN Resident Coordinator in Türkiye; and UCLG-MEWA Secretary General Dr. Mehmet Duman, with a video message from Uğur İbrahim Altay, Mayor of Konya and President of UCLG.
The keynote session featured Clare Hart, Vice President of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole and Acting President of MedCities, and Maria Luisa Wyganowski, Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye, who shared strategic insights on driving local climate action and sustainable urban transition.
A plenary session on local leadership and multilevel climate governance for climate action was moderated by Dr. Mehmet Duman. Panelists included Telman Maharramov from UN-Habitat’s Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Ahmet Aras, Mayor of Muğla and President of the Union of Coastal Municipalities of Türkiye, Gamze Aslan from ILBANK, Mohamed Sefiani, Mayor of Chefchaouen, Dr. Şengül Altan Arslan, Deputy Secretary General of the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye, and Sevda Güner, Founding President of the International Environmental Communication Association (UÇİD).
Roundtable discussions followed, focusing on urban resilience and climate-responsive development; localizing climate finance; a just and inclusive transition; water, food, nature, and circularity; and innovation, technology, and data. Evaluations of these discussions were presented to participants, with a comprehensive report to be prepared in the coming weeks.
The summit concluded with the Muğla Joint Declaration on Local Climate Commitment under the theme “Local Leadership, Inclusive Urban Resilience and Sustainable Transition.” Closing remarks were delivered by Dr. Mehmet Duman, Ahmet Aras, and H.E. Ambassador M Amanul Haq, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Türkiye in Ankara, marking the end of a summit that reinforced the collective determination of Mediterranean municipalities to lead on climate action and resilience.
