The Mayors’ Forum is one of the core institutional programs led by the Association of Palestinian Local Authorities (APLA). It constitutes a sustainable national framework that brings together mayors of Palestinian Local Government Units (LGUs) to address strategic issues, emerging developments, and structural challenges affecting the local government sector.
The program functions as a broad consultative mechanism that enables mayors to exchange perspectives on sector priorities, policy gaps, planning processes, and capacity-building needs. Through structured dialogue and collective reflection, the Forum strengthens coordination among LGUs and reinforces their role as key actors in shaping public policy related to local governance. The Forum is organized through a geographically inclusive approach, ensuring balanced representation across governorates and diverse local contexts.
Institutionally, the Mayors’ Forum is embedded within APLA’s organizational structure and linked to the work of the Technical Support Unit (TSU), ensuring continuity, regular engagement, and systematic follow-up. In this role, the Forum serves as a key advisory and feedback mechanism, providing APLA with consolidated inputs on sector needs, required regulatory and legislative updates, and critical issues affecting the performance of LGUs.
The program also aims to enhance the strategic leadership capacity of local authorities by supporting mayors in developing forward-looking visions of their roles and responsibilities within the local governance system. It contributes to the formulation of coordinated approaches and policy-oriented recommendations, particularly in the areas of governance reform, decentralization, and legislative development.
Through the institutionalization of the Mayors’ Forum as a permanent program, APLA strengthens its role as the national representative body of Palestinian LGUs and provides a structured leadership space that supports policy dialogue, sector reform, and the advancement of effective, resilient local governance in Palestine.