At the occasion of the tragic anniversary of the war against Ukraine, we, local and
regional leaders, members of United Cities and Local Governments want to reiterate
our call for peace and condemn in the strongest possible terms the attack on
civilians and public infrastructure, which is in violation of international humanitarian
law. The abduction and imprisonment of mayors is a clear breach on democratic
principles, and we ask for their immediate release.

 

We stand together as World Organization of Local and Regional Governments and
advocate for a peaceful solution based on dialogue in the international fora and call
all municipal and regional governments to publicly engage in this path. The growing
tensions of war and its spread in different parts of the world continue to pose a
serious threat to sustainable development and this requires local and regional
leaders across the globe to engage proactively in advocating for an immediate end
of this conflict.

 

We remain steadfast in our support to all the victims of this human tragedy and will
continue to welcome and provide services to the millions of refugees across the
world. The global municipalist movement stands ready to support those who show
solidarity with Ukraine and act in favour of peace, democracy and human rights.
We also commit to play the fullest role possible in supporting reconstruction efforts
in the whole of Ukraine and areas affected by tragedy.

 

With this declaration, we wish to send a clear message of hope and support to the
people victims of war across the world, and we affirm our commitment to promoting
peace, security and justice for all people everywhere. Nothing can justify war, nor
the targeting of cities and the loss of innocent civilian lives. There must always be
room for dialogue.

 

We will always stand side by side with the victims, whether they suffer from war or
natural disasters and climate change, which affects the whole of humanity, and our
hearts are still filled with sorrow at the recent tragedy in Türkiye and Syria.
It is our considered opinion that, in a world with deepening levels of inequality,
hunger and poverty, our limited resources should be better deployed to address
these socioeconomic challenges.