Our municipalist patrimony for the next decade

Our municipalist patrimony for the next decade

“The transformation that will need to be brought about in our development model will only be possible if it responds to the dreams and expectations of citizens and communities and if collective responsibility is taken to adjust and make compromises on a fair, equal and sustainable basis” (preamble to the Durban Political Declaration).

The Durban Political Declaration, adopted by the local and regional delegates gathered within the World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders in Durban, builds on the work of our constituency and strong vision of the future of the international municipal movement for the 21st century, and aims to innovate and consolidate our strategy.

Based around four chapters, encompasses the principles of our movement, the need for local ownership of the global agenda, the themes that we are working on that will be critical for the future of humanity, and the commitments of our movement to fulfill the ambitious global goals.

The local dimension of development.

The Durban Declaration envisions a municipal movement that faces the global trends by returning to our roots and focusing on local democracy, and being an equality-driven movement, that champions a transition from an international to an inter-urban system and that takes a collective stand to end poverty and tackle inequalities.

The Durban Political Declaration addresses the renewal of local democracy, our commitments towards being equality-driven municipal movement building on the delivery of public services, and securing that the fourth industrial revolution services our communities and not just for those who have everything. Peacebuilding, resilience, and a commitment to localization are all part of the municipalist patrimony that needs to be fostered and protected as we enter the next decade

Local ownership for the future of humanity.

Our movement has been championing localization to achieve the global development agendas. In the interconnected world we live in, it is essential to stress that the ambitious objectives we set for ourselves in 2015, and 2016, will not occur in a vacuum. Only if we address all of the agendas as one, and only if we do so from the bottom-up among all stakeholders will we achieve the global goals.

The Durban Declaration lays out the principles of a local-global platform that will allow local voices to be listened to, but also to carry out the necessary changes in how cities and territories are co-created, empowering organizations that are rooted in their communities. The municipal movement will listen to the civil society, Academia, and all stakeholders to achieve inclusive and fair societies that allow our communities to fulfill their goals and expectations.

The dreams of 2030

The Durban Political Declaration encompasses some of the key themes that our movement has already been working on. The Right to Housing is essential to provide our communities with the conditions for  adecent life, and we call for more powers for local and regional governments to be able to secure decent living for their communities. A rights-based approach to Migration that goes beyond border control and towards basic services, and  the renewal of democracy and citizenship that envisionsthe local and territorial level oof government as key to recover trust and reforming the systems of governance are some of the key issues for the next era.

Peacebuilding is key for local and regional governments throughout the world. A people-based agenda that shares knowledge through intergenerational dialogues is key to promote transformative change and allow local and regional governments to contribute to a culture of peace. Our movement further commits to developing the mechanisms to defend those who serve their communities by being in positions of public leadership.

The future of our movement will take to heart the ecological transition, based on systems of solidarity and working to ensure a shift in our patterns of production and consumption, and will work to build resilient and sustainable societies, fostering the role of local and regional governments in the management of natural resources and their contribution to resilience.

The Political Declaration acknowledges gender equality as a critical condition to build the future of humanity, and calls to place gender equality at the core of development, and including the voices of women and girls in the localization process with the aim of not leaving half of the population of the world behind. Culture is further envisioned as the fourth pillar of development, and essential for a people-centered sustainable development.

Our municipalist patrimony, key to achieve universality and solidarity

We call for a more united membership of associations of local and regional governments, that works together to prepare for the so-called implementation decade to achieve the SDGs. Our networks are convinced that through learning and through decentralized cooperation we will be able to develop new instruments to further knowledge and cooperation.

We commit to contribute to unify the voices of local and regional governments through our Networks and through our joint work within the Global Taskforce and the joint ecosystem of sister networks, and we reaffirm that the World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments is the platform that will guarantee that the thought of our communities reaches the entire world

The Durban Political Declaration encompasses the municipalist patrimony of our movement: the values, the experiences, and the collaborations that we have carried out for over a century are key to aid our communities in achieving the transformation towards sustainable, fair, and inclusive societies that can find a hopeful future society and the planet.