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Beginnings of the European Charter for the Safeguarding of Human Rights in Cities
During meetings in Barcelona in 1998 that coincided with the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration
of Human Rights, European cities agreed to put the founding principles of this Universal Declaration of Human Rights into
practice "in a context of territorial proximity". The instigators were looking to replace the "citizen hopes" at the heart
of city projects - cities which could be transformed into favoured spaces for social innovation, solidarity and resistance
to globalisation of the economy deemed too liberal.
A European Charter for Safeguarding Human Rights in Cities was subsquently adopted in Saint Denis, France on 18 May 2000,
to extend the influence of the commitment made in Barcelona. The aim of this Charter is to state a few of the fundamental
human rights at municipal level and convert them into concrete action.
Two biennial metings have been organised since the Charter was drawn up and ratified by a large number of cities.
They have helped increase the number of signatory cities, learn from the experiences of others in applying the
Charter and compare limitations and difficulties in applying it under specific regulations in the various European
countries. At each stage, the desire to see non-Community, resident foreigners with the right to vote in local
elections - a major Charter commitment - has been recalled by a special motion voted by those cities present,
one way of confirming a commitment that strictly speaking exceeds city authority but which concerns them strongly.
The 2002 conference in Venice was an opportunity to present the Charter's goals to a large number of European
leaders, when a draft Treaty for a European Constitution was also under discussion. Workshop discussions were
ideal for exchanging views on innovations in participating cities. The commitment was already made to renew this
conference framework and to set up a basic common secretariat with the cities which had hosted these first three meetings.
With this in mind, the 4th city conference held in Nuremberg in December 2004 decided to adopt a common
presentation logo for the Charter and its text was circulated in English, French, Spanish and German. The
highlight of the conference was a solemn restatement by cities of the commitment to the right to vote and
elegibility of foreign, non-Community residents. In conjunction with UNESCO, the cities also undertook to fight
racism in a commitment comprising ten specific points, one way of constructing a framework for actions and
assessment on the respect of rights in cities.
The reasons behind these initiatives by cities
Despite numerous official texts for universal application, many rights are not yet "effective" and citizens have
difficulty finding their way through the maze of administrative and legal red tape.
How can we guarantee these rights better? How can we act more effectively? How can we ensure the public
conditions for the personal well-being of each individual?
The modern city is a place where everything meets, therefore where everything is possible. It is also the
battlefield of contradictions, therefore of perils: the urban area with its uncertain frontiers is rife
with discriminations rooted in unemployment, poverty and distrust of cultural differences, whilst at the
same time civil and social practices of solidarity are drafted and multiply within these same borders.
City life today also demands that certain rights be more clearly defined, because this is where we live,
seek work and move around. It also obliges us to acknowledge fresh challenges such as environmental
friendliness, the guarantee of healthy food, tranquillity and the opportunity for social exchange and leisure, etc.
Finally, faced with the crisis hitting delegated democracy in national States and the anxiety over
"European bureaucracies", the city emerges as a new political and social space, the ideal place for
representative democracy to create a true City citizenship and move towards rendering effective the
rights that have featured for years in international texts.
Placing human rights at the heart of city concerns
The Charter portrays the right to the city - understood as the right of all citizens to a collective
space of democratic representation, conviviality and personal development - as a fundamental right
(Article V): right to the effectiveness of public services (Art. .XXII); right to education (Art. XIII);
right to work (Art. XIV); right to culture (Art. XV); right to a home (Art. XVI); right to the
environment (Art. XVII); right to harmonious and sustainable city development (Art. XVIII); right to
an urban environment encouraging personal well-being (Art. XIX); right to leisure and sport (Art. XXI).
This is a clear extension of the 1948 Declaration that convinced our cities to make proximity human rights a major concern.
The Charter is a political instrument serving the rebirth of local democracy, by characterising
the city as an institution committed to serve the fundamental values - respect for human dignity,
acknowledgement of the principle of equality of rights and solidarity - and determined to encourage
cohesion and social integration of all its inhabitants to turn them into true "citizens of cities".
The Charter expresses a certain view of Europe. Its city signatories guarantee a central place in
their initiatives for human rights. Thus they introduce a new types of mechanism to turn them into reality,
such as local justice to encourage out-of-court settlements of some disputes; police force made up of
safety and conviviality officers, also responsible for anti-racism and intolerance teaching;
social and district mediators; rapid response committees, etc.
The Charter must compensate for the fragility and weaknesses in practical acknowledgement of
human rights and proclaim that local authorities are not indifferent to the peace, equality, justice,
freedom and solidarity that all its residents aspire to.
The four previous conferences have been ideal for addressing and exchanging views on certain
questions raised by the Charter. Today, the programme for the 5th Conference to be held in Lyon
on 10-12 December 2006 must focus on extending these exchanges of experiences.
This new joint work should of necessity ask questions touching on the future of our joint
commitment entered into since 2000. This involves turning it into reality through ever-increasing
citizen approval and making it possible for European cities involved in applying the Charter
to concentrate on its essential legal value; this should be combined with significant progress
in establishing independent bodies to monitor its application in all regions concerned
and collectively for monitoring at European scale.
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