Friday, 17 January 2014
We are pleased to publish the reports of the two debates organized by the
UCLG Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Right in
the framework of the 2nd World Summit of Local
and Regional Leaders – 4th UCLG World Congress, which took place in
Rabat (Morocco) last October 2013.
“The right to the city: an international dialogue for Middle East
– North Africa region (MENA)” (in partnership with Habitat
International Coalition– HIC)
In this side event various stakeholders and regions could
compare experiences and views concerning progress and challenges in the
realization of the right to the city in MENA region.Three questions oriented the debate in light of the
changes taking place in the region:
·
What is meant by the “right to the city” from the point of view of
civil society organizations and local governments?
·
What content and strategies can the right to the city offer for
the democratization of our urban societies?
·
What commitments must the various stakeholders assume, in order to
advance implementation of the right to the city?
Several proposals from the panel will help stimulate the
debate about a progressive urban agenda leading up to Habitat III (2016). These include the
requisite constitutional and legal order to enable autonomous local government
within the enabling state; the question of scale and scaling-up good practices,
from local efforts to citywide programs; the resource needs of ensuring
institutions, systems and personnel competent to meet city dwellers’ democratic
expectations; and finally the need for sufficient civic education for public
servants, officials and the general public in human rights-based governance.
Please click
here to have access to the full report of this event
“The right to the city: fighting against urban inequalities” (in partnership with CEMR and the UCLG Committee on Peripheral
Cities)
This panel discussed about the type of strategies and local
policies that enable progress in the implementation of the right to the city.
In 2011, UCLG adopted the Global
Charter-Agenda for Human Rights in the City in order to encourage local governments
to design public policies that contribute to foster what is known as the “right
to the city”. This concept seeks to establish a new political and cultural
model in order to institute the local territory as a space for the collective
construction and enjoyment of the rights of citizenship, which should be
guaranteed to all residents of the city.
Two main recommendations ensued from this panel:
·
UCLG should defend the recognition of the right to the city
within the new urban agenda to be defined at Habitat III, engaging in dialogue
with the networks and organizations of civil society.
· The Committee on Social
Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights is the channel
through which a specific work on the right to the city should be undertaken to
provide UCLG with political messages and evidences.
Please click
here to have access to the full report of this event.
Forfurther information on the debates, please click here
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