The call for host organizations for the 2027 and 2028 ICMA Global Exchanges is open. This annual event promotes global knowledge exchange and networking among local government professionals worldwide. 

Applications are open from May 18 through July 10, 2026. Any community or local government association is eligible to apply. Some past hosts of this event include the County and City Management Association in Ireland, South African Local Government Association, the Municipal Council of Manzini in Eswatini, Exello.net (Association of Flemish General Managers) in Belgium; the Royal Commission for AlUla in Saudi Arabia; the cities of Puerto Princesa and Tagbilaran in the Philippines; the City Managers’ Association of Rajasthan in Jaipur, India; the Association of Public Administration in Romania; the Czech City Managers’ Association in the Czech Republic; the Dominican Federation of Municipalities in the Dominican Republic, among others.  

Read about past exchanges in the related content section on the right side of this page for more information about programming. 

Proposals for the 2027 and 2028 Global Exchanges

ICMA requests that host organizations plan for approximately five business days of programming. Ideally, this will include presentations on local governance in the country; networking opportunities and discussions with local government professionals and staff; and site visits to illustrate innovative programs. Activities and programming should foster meaningful interaction and highlight local government topics of shared interest with ICMA members. Applications can also include participation in a conference or event that occurs at the time of the exchange. ICMA will host an open Global Engagement Committee meeting at the end of the exchange to provide time for participants to reflect on the programming and lessons learned for their communities. Initial details of the schedule should be clearly outlined even if all meetings/events are not finalized at the time of application.  

Here is an example of the draft agenda submitted by the 2026 Global Exchange host organizations and here is a final agenda for context on how the program developed throughout the year-long planning process. These examples serve as a reference for the level of detail on a schedule that’s expected at the time of application, and how an exchange program builds over time. 

Expected Audience

Participation in the Global Exchange is only open to ICMA members. ICMA membership is open to local and regional government leaders and professionals at all levels, as well as representatives from municipal associations, academic institutes, research organizations, and nonprofit associations. While the majority of ICMA's membership is based in the United States, participants on the Global Exchange are likely to come from around the world. Recent delegations included participation of ICMA members from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Eswatini, Latvia, the Philippines and Ukraine, among other countries. 

The plans outlined in the application should account for about 50-60 attendees. Those unable to host a group of this size, should indicate the maximum number of participants on their application.  

Interaction with Local Government Leaders and Staff

A central objective of the Global Knowledge Exchange is to encourage meaningful interaction between the ICMA delegation and local government leaders and staff in the host location. Proposals should clearly describe how this interaction will be facilitated. One effective approach is to incorporate roundtable discussions with local government representatives on local government topics/themes relevant to the exchange.  

Planning and Cost

Host organizations should identify one or two contact people from their staff for event planning purposes. ICMA staff will assist in the planning and marketing of the event, but we will rely on local expertise to ensure a mutually beneficial global knowledge exchange. Attendees will pay for their travel and other expenses. Host organizations should clearly indicate if they will be providing any meals, transportation, or accommodation for the attendees in the application.  

Apply Today!

To express an interest in applying to host the 2027 or 2028 ICMA Global Exchange, complete this form.

Individuals with questions can contact Sophie Weyn, assistant program manager, strategic relationships, member support and advancement, at sweyn@icma.org.  

All completed applications will be reviewed by a review team made up of ICMA staff and Global Engagement Committee members, and a response will be sent to all applicants when the process has concluded.  

Apply Today

View Global Exchange Host Application FAQs