Local Solutions for Global Challenges: CEMR Leaders Summit Held in Oslo

The CEMR Leaders Summit brought together members of the organization’s Policy Committee for a two-day event in Oslo. The Summit was opened by Anne Lindboe, Mayor of Oslo, while the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM) was represented by Secretary General Nikola Tarbuk.

The event was hosted by the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS). Under the theme “Local Solutions for Fair and Sustainable Resource Governance”, the Summit placed local governments at the heart of global debates on the management of natural resources – particularly water and critical raw materials (CRM) – in a fair and future-proof way.

A dialogue was launched on the interconnected challenges of democratic resilience, geopolitical instability, and sustainable resource management, while participants also discussed CEMR’s role in an increasingly unstable geopolitical environment.

Best practices in water management were presented, including the “Every Drop Counts” initiative, created to highlight the essential role of local governments in this field.

As part of a joint mural/presentation, European cities showcased their experiences, and Serbia was represented by the City of Sombor with its RESTORIVER project.

Through this project, Sombor aims to strengthen its capacity for climate adaptation of riverbanks and riparian areas, reduce the risks of droughts, floods, and heatwaves, and harmonize, adapt, and link higher-level policies in the fields of water management, climate action, and flood protection with local-level interventions.

At the Summit, it was confirmed that SCTM will host the meeting of Secretaries General and Directors of more than 50 CEMR member associations of local and regional authorities, which will take place in October in Belgrade.