Salt Municipality Wins Bloomberg Global Mayors Challenge Award

The Municipality of Salt has been awarded the final prize in the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ 2025-2026 Global Mayors Challenge, securing $1 million and technical and financial support for two years.

Ali Batayneh, head of the Greater Salt Municipality Committee, announced the win, highlighting the municipality's success in a competition that initially involved over 630 cities worldwide.

Salt advanced to the final stage among the top 50 cities, alongside major global hubs like Boston, Barcelona, San Francisco, Seoul, and Kyiv. Ultimately, it was selected as one of 24 winning cities recognized for developing practical solutions to enhance essential services and support local development.

The winning project focuses on transforming ideas into viable working models and achieving sustainable developmental impact within the city.

Batayneh emphasized that this victory is a national achievement, demonstrating the ability of Jordanian municipalities to compete globally and offer quality initiatives that contribute to supporting the local economy and improving service levels. The next phase will concentrate on translating the project into integrated implementation steps in cooperation with partners and international experts.

Minister of Local Administration Waleed Al-Masri praised the efforts of the Salt Municipality team, noting that this recognition highlights the municipality's consistent distinction and its deserving of support for achieving sustainable development. Al-Masri hopes the experience of the Salt Municipality will serve as a model for other municipalities in the Kingdom.

Ghaida Al-Kharabsheh, Director of the Development Projects Unit and head of the participation file preparation team, said that this achievement resulted from intensive institutional work and precise development of the project idea according to international standards. The project involves developing an integrated system for preserving the architectural and cultural heritage in the city of Salt and employing it as a productive sector that contributes to supporting the local economy and providing job opportunities.

The project will establish the first specialized center in the field of restoration of heritage buildings, along with building a national and international cooperation network that supports the heritage sector and ensures its sustainability. This will enhance Salt's position as a leading city in preserving urban heritage and employing it for development.

Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg L.P., and three-term Mayor of New York City, stated that the most effective municipalities are those that are bold, creative, and proactive in solving problems and meeting the needs of residents. He added that the Mayors Challenge was launched to help more cities succeed and to support the winners in implementing their innovative projects.

The Bloomberg Award is a prestigious global award that aims to stimulate government innovation at the local level and highlight the pivotal role that municipalities play around the world in developing services and improving the quality of life for residents.