Talent Hub for Cities and Regions: a new initiative to boost territorial diplomacy

Yesterday, a groundbreaking initiative in the field of human resources (HR) collaboration came into being. Called Talent Hub for Cities and Regions, it will have the goal to train young professionals in the burgeoning sphere of territorial diplomacy in Europe.

The Hub is the result of a partnership between three major organizations working to champion the interests of local and regional governments. These are the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), Eurocities, and UCLG World Secretariat.

Fabrizio Rossi, Secretary General of CEMR, highlighted the essence of this collaboration: “Regrettably, the field of territorial diplomacy has not been able to attract and retain the talent it truly deserves. This is unfortunate because working as agents of European and international cooperation for local and regional governments and their organisations can offer immense career satisfaction while enabling us to forge a better future for our territories and communities. The Talent Hub for Cities and Regions takes a vital step in the right direction, aiming to attract and nurture the essential talents required to address the pressing challenges ahead of us.”

How will territorial diplomacy be shaped?

The Talent Hub for Cities and Regions is thus a pioneering initiative in human resources, focusing on three crucial objectives.

First, conduct initiatives to attract new talent and nurture the next generation of leaders in the field of territorial diplomacy. Secondly, develop a pool of talents and knowledge via joint trainings, exchanges, and tailored mentoring. And finally, implement strategies to retain talent across all three organisations.

André Sobczak, Secretary General of Eurocities, added that this initiative will work with public authorities, universities and research centres in order to foster job market standards with the aim of creating viable career paths for the future practitioners of this profession.