Global Steering Committee

The ICCAR Global Steering Committee (GSC) was established in April 2016, following its first meeting organized by UNESCO and hosted by the Comune di Bologna, Italy, lead city of the European Coalition of Cities against Racism (ECCAR).

Composed of representatives of lead cities of the seven regional and national coalitions of ICCAR, the Committee aims to

• reinforce international leadership and coordination of the Coalition;

• support alignment of regional/national and city-level strategies and priorities with emerging development agendas, in response to contemporary opportunities and challenges;

• facilitate collaborative action and advocacy between regional/national Coalitions through shared initiatives, and exchange of expertise and resources; and,

• raise the profile and visibility of the International Coalition of Inclusive and Sustainable Cities – ICCAR.

On 9 February 2024, Fabiana Goyeneche, Director of International Relations and Cooperation at the Townhall of Montevideo, Uruguay, was elected President of the Global Steering Committee.

The President will serve for two years in her role, guiding the Committee through new initiatives and partnerships.

The Global Steering Committee adopted the “Bologna Declaration”, which highlights the centrality of inclusion and diversity in urban spaces as crucial in achieving sustainable urban development. To attest to the dynamic character of ICCAR, the Declaration also recognizes the need to reassess its role and mandate to align itself with current and emerging challenges and new global agendas of the international community, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Habitat III’s New Urban Agenda.

Within the framework of the City’s celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Global Steering Committee of ICCAR adopted the “Nancy Declaration” in December 2018. It calls for renewed commitment to "develop effective responses to the rise of hate, bigotry and violent extremism, growing worldwide phenomena that accentuate racism, intolerance and discrimination, by implementing local and collective advocacy efforts to raise awareness, developing guidelines and tools in response to these threats, and conducting capacity-building and education-related initiatives".