Local leaders call for decentralization, financing for cities and the feminization of politics at Habitat III

On 16th October 2016, on the eve of the Third UN Conference of Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), over a thousand representatives of local and regional governments gathered in Quito for the World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments to celebrate the adoption of the New Urban Agenda and to commit to play their part in its achievement.

Download the statement of the World Assembly to Habitat III in English, Spanish and French

The event was opened by the Mayor of Quito, Mauricio Rodas, who recalled that the Assembly represented the culmination of months of work by international networks of local and regional governments, coordinated by the Global Taskforce. Mayor Rodas also emphasized the importance of linking the New Urban Agenda to the SDGs, particularly SDG11 on Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements.

Support for local and regional governments from the highest level

The Ecuadorian Minister for Housing and Urban Development, María de los Ángeles Duarte, emphasized the important role of local and regional governments in the achievement of the New Urban Agenda and called for national governments to commit to finance urban infrastructure and development.

The Secretary General of Habitat III, Joan Clos, pointed out that local and regional governments have demonstrated their commitment and ability to deliver on climate (at COP21 in Paris) and on sustainable development (with their contributions to the SDGs). He argued that “the problems of cities are the problems of humanity” and that “local authorities stand ready to provide the solutions to global challenges.”

President of the UN General Assembly, Peter Thomson, agreed that “cities must be at the vanguard of the SDGs” and called on local and regional governments to use their local regulatory and fiscal roles to support climate smart investment. He also invited the Assembly to play an active role in the two-day event on the follow-up on the New Urban Agenda in 2017.

Full remarks by Peter Thomson

UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, celebrated the significant global progress in decentralization in the 20 years since Habitat II. Thanks to this, he said, local governments are now seen as a key partner for progress by their national counterparts, with many adopting the principle of subsidiarity in their countries. The Secretary General told the Assembly that “mayors governors and councilors are at the forefront of the battle for sustainable development… you are faced with the immediate demands of your people… and you must make the tough decisions to prioritize and manage budgets.” Moon acknowledged the efforts made over recent years to unite the constituency of local and regional governments, and the work of their international networks in contributing to the implementation of global agendas at local level and in facilitating the exchange of knowledge between cities. He predicted that Habitat III will strengthen this partnership and closed by encouraging local and regional leaders to “raise their voices” to contribute to sustainable urban development across the world.

Full remarks by Ban Ki Moon

The Assembly was also addressed by representatives of organizations which have collaborated with local and regional governments throughout the Habitat III process, including the European Commission, Cities Alliance, the Global Assembly of Partners and the World Bank.

Mayors and local leaders ready and willing to make the New Urban Agenda a reality

Over 45 local and regional leaders addressed the World Assembly, celebrating the inclusion of many of their recommendations in the text of the Quito Declaration, and committing to work to achieve the New Urban Agenda in their cities and territories.

See full programme of speakers

The need for progress in decentralization and local self-governance was a strong theme at the Assembly, with the Mayors of Montreal, Medellín, and Mexico all calling for increased autonomy to allow local and regional governments to deal with new global challenges, arguing powerfully that local democracy is the strongest foundation of sustainable development.

The Prefect of Pichincha, Ecuador, Gustavo Baroja, called for an end to the urban-rural divide and the inequalities that it creates in favour of an integrated territorial approach to sustainable urban development.

The Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, celebrated the reference to the right to the city in the New Urban Agenda, and called for the 21st century to be the century of the feminization of politics, the century of cooperation rather than competition. Colau’s call for gender equality and female leadership at local level was echoed by many mayors, men and women, including the mayors of Surabaya, Oklahoma, and Bangangté.

Many mayors reiterated their call for increased financing for local and regional governments, with Mayor of Istanbul, Kadir Topbas, celebrating the Quito Declaration’s commitment to ensure reliable financing mechanisms in metropolitan areas, while the mayors of Belo Horizonte, Dakar and the regent of Trenggalek called for increased fiscal powers and improved access to climate finance for sub-national governments in enable them to meet their growing responsibilities.

The newly elected president of UCLG, Parks Tau of Johannesburg, closed the Assembly by calling for the international community to listen to cities and recommending that the World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments become a significant and representative mechanism through which local and regional governments can provide political guidance and technical follow-up on the global sustainability agenda beyond Habitat III.