“As we discuss contribution of the local action to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the motto “Think globally – act locally” rings ever more true,” stated Gudrun MOSLER-TÖRNSTRÖM, Congress President, addressing the participants to the discussion on the “High-Level Dialogue: Linking Global Goals with the New Urban Agenda implementation” organised by the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), in Strasbourg, on 25 May 2018. “Our discussion today is a new opportunity to join efforts between the UCLG, a global actor representing local authorities worldwide, and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities representing more than 200,000 territorial communities of Europe. We both share common values and the ambition to develop and defend local governance,” she said.
“More than half of the world’s population now lives in cities and the city has become the major fact of the organisation of territories in Europe,” explained Congress President underlining that this urban development must be accompanied by the improvement of the quality of the environment as well as of the collective life based on social cohesion, diversity and inclusion. “Local and regional elected representatives, as political leaders, have a central role to play in shaping how the society will react to these challenges,” she added.
Mrs MOSLER-TÖRNSTRÖM presented the work of the Congress in the field of urban governance, in particular with the adoption, in 1992, of the European Urban Charter, which established a series of principles for the social organisation of the city. This text was updated in 2008, under the title "Manifesto for a new urbanity: European Urban Charter II", focusing on four “ambitions”: building a “town for the people” centred on serving citizens’ needs and involving citizens in finding solutions to address those needs; building a sustainable and environmentally friendly town; building a town which is a symbol of modernity, knowledge and creativity; building a town of social cohesion, which actively combats division, exclusion and discrimination.
The Congress also has worked on the integration of migrants, fight against radicalisation and violent extremism, and fostering dialogue for diversity and inclusion in our cities. It has, in particular, developed Guidelines to combat violent extremism at grassroots level and a Toolkit for local authorities to use when organising interreligious and intercultural dialogue.
“We, local authorities, must put the citizen at the heart of our action and at the heart of our cities. This is why we need urban policies aimed at promoting greater solidarity and inclusion. Our policies must make the city accessible to all, especially in the areas of education, health, culture and housing,” she stressed. “In short, without inclusion, no cohesion. This is the doctrine of our Urban Charter II,” she concluded.
