home Join Login

Mayor of Reykjavik (Iceland) becomes Chair of OECD Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth Initiative

12 July 2022

OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann is pleased to announce Dagur Eggertsson, Mayor of Reykjavik (Iceland) as the new Chair of the OECD Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth Initiative. Over the last six years, this coalition has been working with over 100 mayors from around the world to drive more inclusive economic growth in cities.

OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said, “We are delighted to have Mayor Eggertsson as the new Chair of the OECD Champion Mayors Initiative. We very much look forward to working with him and other local leaders to leverage the power of our cities to help secure more inclusive, sustainable and resilient growth.”

Elected to Reykjavik City Council in 2002, and Mayor of Reykjavik since 2014, Dagur Eggertsson brings 20 years’ experience in local government leadership to the Initiative, and will serve as its second Chair until January 2024.

“I thank the OECD for giving weight to the importance of local-level action to inclusive growth. Addressing and fighting inequalities and its consequences continues to be one of the greatest challenges of our time,” said Mayor Eggertsson. “Cities are often where we confront the most difficult issues but also where the best solutions are created. As Chair, with the help of the Secretariat, I aim to continue building the rich evidence-based decision making, highlighting the critical nature of local policy-making to inclusive recovery in cities. I will strive to encourage dialogues on innovative solutions to evolving challenges, as well as sharing knowledge related to important and timely topics such as the transformation of digital services and climate transition and resilience, affordable housing, public health and prevention, and, in turn, to help build a better future for all.”

Outgoing Chair and a founding Mayor of the Champion Mayors Initiative, Mayor Anne Hidalgo (Paris, France) said, “I warmly congratulate Mayor Eggertsson and offer my full support as he takes on this important role. Chairing this initiative not only enriched my own city’s inclusive growth agenda, but as part of the OECD’s unique international platform, we were able to raise the profile of our local actions not just nationally but globally. Our work is certainly not done, and I look forward to continuing to find and share ways we mayors can advance inclusive growth around the world.”

The Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth Initiative is a Mayor’s coalition created in 2016 within the broader OECD Inclusive Growth Initiative, in recognition of the important role local leaders can play to address large inequalities within their cities. It helps local governments analyse, address and tackle these inequalities, monitor material living standards and broader well-being, and design policy packages that promote inclusive economic growth. Driven by a multidimensional approach, it goes beyond income to see how people are faring in other areas of life. The Initiative launched with support from the Ford Foundation has a range of Knowledge Partners and Institutions, including Cities Alliance, ICLEI, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, UCLG and United Way Worldwide.

Visit Dagur B Eggertsson’s Champion Mayors profile and read the Mayor of the Moment interview.