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Mayor of Konya Metropolitan Municipality, Ugur Ibrahim Altay, has been elected president of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), a global municipal network known in Türkiye as the World Union of Municipalities, for the 2026-2029 term.
Altay was chosen during the UCLG World Council meeting held in Tangier, Morocco, after winning the vote by a wide margin in a race that also included the mayor of Mexico City. Altay now represents a network that brings together more than 240,000 local and regional governments across 140 countries, as well as more than 175 local and regional government associations.
Following the election, Altay said Konya had earned a major international honor through a long and demanding process that involved years of work and talks with representatives from different regions of the world.
He said the outcome was not only a personal appointment but also a sign of confidence in Konya, Türkiye, and the country's local government system. He added that Konya would continue to represent both the city and Türkiye on international platforms.
Altay said his term would focus on strengthening UCLG and increasing its influence as a platform for local and regional governments. He said the organization would work to bring together the knowledge, experience and priorities of its members while making cities more visible in global decision-making processes.
He also said UCLG would seek to deepen cooperation among its members and regional bodies, while defending the role of local governments in shaping the global agenda.
Altay said during his term, he will also focus on challenges facing cities worldwide, including climate change, migration, water shortages, disasters, poverty and inequalities between cities.
Altay also referred to the impact of wars and conflicts on cities, saying many places around the world now face destruction, displacement and uncertainty. He mentioned Gaza, Iran, Lebanon and other conflict-affected regions, saying that cities, historic heritage and children's futures were being damaged.
During his UCLG presidency, he said he would continue to defend peace, security and human dignity in cities. He added that UCLG would work to turn temporary calm into lasting peace and to strengthen solidarity among local governments.
"The message rising from Konya to the world will be very clear: We will continue to stand for peace against war, justice against oppression, and solidarity against hopelessness," Altay said.
Altay also thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish government, the Foreign Ministry, UCLG member cities and the people of Konya for their support during the election process.
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