Courtès is a close friend of Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris. In January 2016, she received a U.S. Embassy delegation led by Cultural Affairs Officer Merlyn Schultz, who congratulated her on her "exemplary leadership". Later in 2016, Courtès was one of a hundred mayors invited by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to contribute to a new urban agenda ahead of the Habitat III Summit in Quito. She also participated in 2016 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Morocco.