On April 2nd and 3rd, the Global Platform forthe Right to the City (GPR2C) will held its European Regional Meeting in Barcelona. Habitat International
Coalition is a founding member of the
Global Platform.
This event will be held just before Habitat III’s Thematic Meeting on Public Spaces, an event organized by the Barcelona City
Hall, which is part of the Habitat III (HIII) official process. HIII will be
the third UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, which is
held every 20 years; HIII will take place in Quito, Ecuador, on October 2016.
More than 50
participants from various countries and work fields –social movements’ representatives, experts,
international networks, local governments and human rights advocates are
expected to attend the meeting. This European meeting follows the
international meeting held in Sao Paulo (November 2014) and the African and Asian
regional ones (November and December 2015, respectively). The main aims are to
present the Platform and analyse the obstacles, challenges and particularities
regarding the implementation of the Right to the City in Europe, as well as
to strengthen regional alliances, discussing the meaning of the “right to
the city” concept in the region and to share information on the regional
process towards Habitat III.
During the recent Habitat
III preparatory meeting in Prague, the GPR2C strongly called for the inclusion of the right to the city in the New Urban
Agenda that will emerge from Habitat III. The GPR2C also call for the commitment of
all involved stakeholders to the effective implementation of the R2C.
Additionally, the participation of civil society and local governments in
this process is essential to achieve cities in which human rights are
fulfilled. The GPR2C also calls for the right to the city to be
protected, promoted and implemented in all Habitat III official documents,
and advocates for inclusive and free of
discrimination cities, cities committed to political participation, with
quality public space and cultural diversity.
The Global Platform for the Right to the City is an international
network that gathers many organizations from America, Africa,
Asia and Europe, including social movements, NGOs, networks and forums,
academic institutions, public sector, foundations and international
organizations. The GPR2C was created in
2014 in order to advocate for the right to just, democratic and sustainable
cities.
This meeting is organized by Observatorio DESC, la Coalición
Internacional del Hábitat (HIC), UCGL ((United Cities and Local Governments) Committee on
Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights, and Pólis
Institute, which are
GPR2C members. In addition to several international organizations, local
organizations and entities will participate in this event, such as the Federación de Asociaciones de Vecinos y Vecinas de Barcelona (FAVB), the cooperativa de arquitectos La Col; the colectivo N’Undo; the Plataforma Salvem el Cabanyal and
the Observatorio de Antropología del
Conflicto Urbano (OACU).
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More information: GPR2C Documents and Statements