In UCLG-MEWA congress in Gaziantep-Turkey, 2016, Dr. Sadegh Najafi, the mayor of Tabriz, was elected as a co- president of this organization.

The World Organization of United Cities and Local Governments, headquartered in Barcelona, ​​Spain, have been active since January 2004 consisting of 3000 cities around the world. The main purpose of the organization is to “protectthe values, aims and interests of democratic local governments in order to be a unified voice and advocate on a world scale and in cooperation with local governments and the international community.