Towards the City That Leaves No One Behind ? Perspectives on Inclusive Urban Governance

Cities need to become more inclusive. The 2030 Agenda explicitly calls for making the needs of the poorest and the most vulnerable the focus of development, in other words: for leaving no one behind (LNOB). In the same way, one of the transformative commitments declared in the New Urban Agenda is for social inclusion and ending poverty.

The event facilitates a dialogue among stakeholders who support and lead LNOB practices on the individual and community level and in sustainable built, social and virtual environments. These LNOB practices include the participation of citizens including migrants and refugees in urban development, the issuing of non-discriminatory regulations in favour of the socially disadvantaged and of persons with disabilities, and accountable and effective decision-making in favour of marginalized groups including youth and migrants. The practises also consider improved data collection and use of disaggregated data to uncover spatial inequalities and to improve access to basic services for all. The event illustrates what makes municipal inclusion effective and innovative, and asks where cities need more action and support for leaving no one behind.

The event will be opened by Victor Pineda, President of World Enabled. Represented by its Lord Mayor, the German City of Mannheim will present its achievements in forming a migrant-inclusive urban society and addressing the needs of persons with disabilities. The example of South Africa will particularly discuss why young people are over-represented among the direct and indirect victims of violence and how partners including networks applying crime and violence preventive approaches are able to implement policies of inclusion. Research partners from Egypt and Germany will refer to the spatial divide of cities and mapping accessibility to services for all within urban agglomerations.

The event closes with key recommendations for development partners how to operationalize the LNOB principle in cities worldwide.