Local and sub-national authorities from around the world have gathered in Rio to remind the governments gathered at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, the Rio+20 Summit that in the urbanization era a greater role needs to be provided to the levels of government closest to the people.
Local and sub-national authorities, regret that the outcome document does not reach greater global commitments to ensure the sustainability of the planet.
However they celebrate the recognition of all the spheres of governments as key actors for the different dimensions of development and they particularly welcome the acknowledgement to reinvigorate the urban agenda with innovative practices and far reaching commitments.
We regret that the outcome document does not recognise culture as the 4th pillar of SD. This is inconsistent with the most innovative practices in all regions of the world.
Local and sub-national authorities call to move towards a multi-level governance for sustainable development and define together strategies to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals that should include culture, heritage, creativity and diversity in the post-2015 Agenda.
Local and regional leaders call therefore to be included in the mechanisms that will be in charge to define the Sustainable Development Goals and offer to provide efficient and inclusive consultation mechanism for the Habitat III process.
UCLG (with its wide representation through Metropolis, ASPAC, CEMR, FLACMA, MEWA, UCLGA, UCLG Noram, UCLG Eurasia) and ORU-FOGAR leadership gathered in Rio stressed the need to ensure a special status before the United Nations that would provide local and regional authorities the adequate place in international policy decision making.
UCLG and ORU-FOGAR have further committed to work closely together with all active networks to ensure united political representation while preserving the rich diversity of the existing thematic networks.
It is in this spirit that the commitments of Rio, the post-2015 agenda and the New Urban Agenda, including territorial cohesion and regionalization should be shaped on our way to the Habitat III conference in 2016.
UCLG-ORU FOGAR as generalist political representative organization further celebrate the great level of consensus achieved with the thematic networks, ICLEI, NRG4SD and C40 in order to put local and regional governments in their rightful place in the sustainability agenda.