Lamu County, Kenya, winner of the UCLG Peace Prize 2026, will take part in the side event “Local Multilateralism for Peace and Safety” during the High-Level Week of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York. Governor Issa Timamy will join the panel to share Lamu’s experience with local peacebuilding.
Cities and local governments are increasingly at the forefront of efforts to prevent violence, strengthen public safety and build peaceful, inclusive communities. Many of the factors that shape people’s everyday sense of safety, such as social cohesion, access to services and trust between communities and authorities, are deeply local. The side event, organised by the Open Society Foundations (OSF), brings together local leaders, practitioners, civil society representatives and international experts to explore how local approaches can be turned into effective and sustainable action.
After opening remarks by OSF President Binaifer Nowrojee, Governor Timamy will be joined on the panel by Diana Eggleston (Special Envoy City of Peace and Justice, The Hague), Felip Roca (Director of International Relations, Generalitat of Catalonia), Jorge Atilano González Candia (Director, Center of Research and Social Action for Peace, Mexico) and Juan Pablo Fonseca (Director, International Centre for Research on Ocular Violence, CIIVO).
Drawing on experiences from Africa, Europe and Latin America, the discussion will address different but complementary dimensions of the peace and safety agenda: preventing and understanding violence, building community resilience, strengthening local leadership and institutions, and fostering international cooperation among cities and local governments.
The event takes place on 22 September 2026 from 9.30 to 11.30 am (New York time) at 101 Park Avenue, New York.
