What might city diplomacy look like in 2040? How could geopolitical shifts, technological transformation, climate pressures and changing relationships between cities, nation-states and global institutions reshape cities’ international engagement? As the international landscape becomes increasingly uncertain, cities need to look beyond immediate priorities and consider how emerging trends could affect their role on the global stage.
Strategic foresight offers tools to explore alternative futures, challenge existing assumptions and prepare for change. Yet, its application to city diplomacy remains largely unexplored. To address this gap, CIDOB and Eurocities have joined forces to examine the future of city diplomacy towards 2040, developing four alternative scenarios based on key drivers of change and critical uncertainties.
This interactive workshop will bring these scenarios to life, inviting participants to explore how different global contexts could reshape the actors, partnerships, priorities and practices of city diplomacy. Rather than predicting what will happen or identifying a preferred future, the exercise will encourage participants to question established approaches, assess emerging challenges and opportunities, and consider the implications for their own cities and organisations.
Through collaborative scenario exploration and peer exchange, participants will help test and refine the scenarios, map their potential implications for cities’ international engagement, and identify strategic questions to inform future planning. The insights gathered will feed into the final scenarios developed by CIDOB and Eurocities, while giving participants a practical starting point for strengthening their capacity to navigate uncertainty and prepare for the future.
Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will have:
- Identified key trends and uncertainties likely to shape city diplomacy between 2026 and 2040.
- Tested the relevance, coherence and usefulness of four alternative scenarios.
- Examined potential changes in city diplomacy’s actors, partnerships, priorities and practices.
- Identified strategic implications for their own city or organisation, including emerging challenges, opportunities and areas for adaptation.
- Contributed to refining the scenarios and reflected on how cities and their networks can better prepare for alternative futures.
More information here.
When? 3rd November 2026, 10.00 – 12.00h CET
Where? Smart City Expo World Congress, Barcelona
