Series consists of records concerning the establishment and management of the Cities Alliance global partnership, a coalition of cities and development partners launched in 1999 by the World Bank and the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS, also known as UN-Habitat). Prior to the creation of the Cities Alliance unit within the Infrastructure and Urban Development Department (INFCA) in 2000, records were maintained by the Urban Development Division (TWURD) and the Global Urban Unit (TWUGL) ofthe Transportation, Water and Urban Development Department.

Record formats represented in this series include: printed email correspondence between the alliance secretariat, manager, partners, and Bank regional staff; mission back-to-office reports (BTORs) and aide-memoires; Terms of Reference (TORs); Initiating Concept Notes (ICN); Initiating Briefs for Trust Funds (IBTF); grant progress reports; audit and financial reports; Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs); technical and consultant reports; partnershipand trust fund agreements; presentation slide hard copies; and background internal and external reports and studies.

Cities Alliance establishment and governance

The alliance secretariat, first led by Manager Mark Hildebrand (1999 - 2006), was responsible for developing the governance structure and charter, administering funds from donors, and promoting global support for the multi-donor partnership. The earliest records date from 1995 and detail the initiative's formation, negotiations, and partnership between the Bank and Habitat.

Records also relate to the Cities Alliance launching ceremony and speaking engagement of World Bank Group President James D. Wolfensohn, Cities Alliance and Consultative Group (CG) inaugural meetings in December 1999 and subsequent CG meetings, annual alliance meetings, proceedings of the Steering Committee to provide guidance to the secretariat and successor Executive Committee, Policy Board Adviser meetings, Bank/UNCHS support teams meetings, and Cities Alliance annual reports beginning from 2001.

Program and trust fund management

The series also contains records related to management of Cities Alliance activities under Manager Mark Hildebrand from 1999 to 2006 and Manager (later Director) William Cobbett from 2006 to 2015. Records reflect the secretariat and manager's missions to partner cities, attendance and participation at meetings, global conferences, and other events, work program planning, evaluations and proposals, and development and implementation of key Cities Alliances and World Bank initiatives. The initiatives represented in the records include the Cities Without Slums (CMS) Action Plan, City Development Strategy (CDS) guidelines, Local Economic Development Initiative, and the Bank/International Monetary Fund Comprehensive Development Framework (CDF). Specific meetings and conferences include annual Urban Forums, Mayors Summits, partner collaboration meetings, and various seminars and workshops.

There are also records related to collaboration with the Bank's urban development units, the Africa Regional Vice Presidency technical units, division and management retreats, and a set of chronological files (2000 - 2006).

Records in the series also document relations with Cities Alliance partners (1998 - 2014) including UN-Habitat and other UN agencies, multinational development banks, bilateral and multilateral donors, recipients, associations of local authorities, and financial contributions from partners and donors including the Bank's Development Grant Facility (DGF). Records also relate to the alliance's support to the UN Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) implementation and the Urban Management Program (UMP), a technical assistance program co-sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN-Habitat, and the Bank.

A large volume of records relate to the Cities Alliance unit's administration of trust funds (1999 - 2015) that provided grants for city development strategies, slum upgrading, and national urban development policies. Notable alliance projects include City Development Strategies for Montego Bay (Jamaica), Hyderabad (India), cities in Africa, Yemen, and Cities without Slums projects for Peshawar (Pakistan), Brazil, Morocco, Yemen, and many others. The partnership's secretariat and trustee functions shifted to the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) at the end of 2013 and, according to the Cities Alliance annual report, Bank-administered legacy grants were largely completed by 2015, which accounts for a few filesdated to that year.