TEXT: THE G8 SUMMIT OF THE CITIES COMMUNIQUE
(Solving problems cities around the world share)
Birmingham, England -- Mayors and leaders from 12 major world cities issued a two-page communique May 14 following a day-long meeting in this British city timed to coincide with the meeting of the leaders of the seven industrialized nations and Russia.
"This is the first time that leading world cities have been brought together on the occasion of the annual group of Eight Summit," the city officials said in a two page communique.
"It is our feeling that informal gatherings of this kind have the potential to demonstrate the contribution of cities in tackling major issues on the agenda of world leaders," the joint communique said.
"We come from different backgrounds with our own distinctive traditions: we have varied political outlooks and political systems. But we recognize that there are common issues that we face and a common agenda that is in our interests to develop."
The cities represented at the meeting included Barcelona, Leipzig, Frankfurt, Johannesburg, Chongqing, St. Petersburg, Chicago, Lyon, Milan, Toronto, Yokohama and Birmingham. Many were represented by their mayors.
The mayors and city officials discussed topics of concern to them all -- work, education, the environment, and diversity -- said Councillor Theresa Stewart, Leader of the Labour Group in the Birmingham City Council, and a leading light behind the event, which was organized by the Birmingham City Council.
Each of the twelve representatives at the meeting presented a paper which the group discussed.
The conversations were translated simultaneously into English, Japanese, French, German, Italian, and Chinese. The Spanish mayor, Stewart noted, spoke in English.
"All the mayors and leaders saw their cities as opportunities, reasons to celebrate diversity," she said, noting that "all of them have very mixed populations."
On May 15 the mayors and city officials were meeting once again, and were to rendezvous that evening at a reception for the G8 heads of state.
The 12 cities invited to participate in the Birmingham meeting are either from G8 countries or cities that participate with Birmingham in sister city programs, Stewart said.
"When we knew the eight leaders were coming here, I thought it would be very good if the city celebrated by bringing together leaders and mayors from the eight different countries and some other city mayors that we have special links with," she said.
The city of Birmingham is setting up a website so that cities around the world can start a dialogue on areas where cities can help each other solve problems. It will be devoted to key strategic papers, city plans and new policy thinking produced by the cities.
The site is http://birmingham.gov.uk/policy/summcity
Following is the G-8 communique text:
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G8 SUMMIT OF THE CITIES COMMUNIQUE
DEVELOPING OUR COMMON AGENDA
1. Elected leaders, mayors and political representatives from the cities of Barcelona, Birmingham, Chicago, Chongqing, Frankfurt, Johannesburg, Leipzig, Lyon, Milan, St. Petersburg, Toronto and Yokohama are gathered here today. We meet at a time when the political role and significance of cities is growing across the world as more people recognise our key role in tackling issues of work, social cohesion and sustainable development. There is an increasing self-confidence among cities: a belief that we are indispensable to the success of the goals which will be set by leaders at the G8 Summit.
2. Cities like ours share a common agenda. We come from different backgrounds with our own distinctive traditions; we have varied political outlooks and political systems. But we recognise that there are common issues that we face and a common agenda that it is in our interests to develop.
3. Today we have heard about four of those issues: work, education, the environment and diversity. The reports from each city collected together into the Publication 'Developing Our Common Agenda' contribute to the on-going debate about the role of cities in the world today. This document illuminates the rich variety of experience of the participating cities. We intend to distribute the final document widely so that other cities and opinion-makers can share our thinking.
4. The active role of city government runs through the document: shaping, influencing, encouraging and enabling developments in these different fields of activity. That forms one of the common threads of our deliberations. What we are seeing is both a return to the historic concerns of city governments -- for example, to maintain clean water and clean air -- alongside an engagement with newer issues of job creation, sustainable development and social integration, which were previously regarded as the responsibility of national governments. Some common concerns were evident in the discussion of these issues, for example the economics of waste disposal and recycling, the impact of drugs and crime, and perhaps above all, the need to create positive opportunities for young people. There was also a desire to build on the strengths which come from the great diversity of city life -- an asset which must he fully integrated with the economic, social and cultural strategies of cities. Clearly, there are different ways and policies by which each city tackles these issues but it is clear that active government is in overarching common thread.
5. This is the first time that leading world cities have been brought together on the occasion of the annual Group of Eight Summit. It is our feeling that informal gatherings or this kind have the potential to demonstrate the contribution of cities in tackling the major issues on the agenda of world leaders. We all learn from each other as together we develop our joint understanding. Following this first conference there are several steps which we shall take to consolidate this process. The discussion and debate begun today, which the papers prepared for this conference have stimulated, shall continue. The city of Birmingham will set up a dedicated website open to all participating cities. This site -- http:birmingham.gov.uk/policy/summcity -- is for key strategic papers, city plans and new policy thinking produced by our cities. This open-access site will also enable policy-makers opinion-formers and specialists in other cities to comment and share their thinking.
There are four themes arising from these papers and discussions in preparation for this conference that indicate scope for further work.
-- Many cities have already undertaken innovative urban regeneration initiatives to create new jobs and to improve the city environment. This has often involved imaginative use of financial resources and the creation of public/private partnerships. A joint study of these partnerships, their varied sources of finance and their potential would be of value to participating cities and other local and national government bodies.
-- Several papers indicate how citizens are being involved in new ways in policy development with extended participation, consultation and dialogue. Here cities are exploring the most effective ways by which they can relate and respond to the needs of their citizens and thereby increase public involvement in civic affairs.
-- The wider role of local government, drawing together a range of interests and institutions and trying to integrate a number of policy objectives is evident from this Summit. How different cities seek to promote the effective co-ordination of urban affairs is a matter of common interest, alongside the ways by which they measure the effectiveness of public services.
-- Fourthly the expanding role of cities requires nurture and support, National governments and supra-national accords and institutions including the G8 should facilitate city level initiatives so that cities are helped and encouraged to fulfill their potential.
-- These are all issues that we believe could be valuably explored on the web-site. We agree that individual cities shall take responsibility for promoting discussion on each of these areas, drawing on the experience of cities not as this Summit. This will help to develop the exchange and learning amongst major cities world-wide. We undertake this in the context of working with other initiatives such as those begun at Habitat II conference in Istanbul in May 1996.
-- We believe future meetings of major cities, preferably in association with the G8, would help to sustain the process of dialogue and exploration which this conference has promoted. They would be part of our common attempt to create dynamic, prosperous and harmonious cities in which citizens from all backgrounds are able to flourish.
6. The convening of this Summit of the Cities, the enthusiasm with which cities have participated and the quality of the material prepared are all indications of the burgeoning self-confidence of cities and their recognition of the need to operate locally but to think globally. It is our intention that the process we have started at this Summit shall continue as cities strive to develop global partnerships where they share their common experiences, ideas and solutions.
Biographies of Mayors and Leaders.
Henry L. Henderson -- Commissioner of Chicago's Department of the Environment. Joined the City in 1987 from the Illinois Attorney General's Office. Environmental attorney appointed Commissioner in 1992 by Mayor Daley. Extensive experience in environmental enforcement, legislation, litigation and public policy development. Has published and lectured on toxic and nuclear waste, global warming and a number of environmental and general issues.
Pu Haiqing -- Mayor of Chongqing. Graduated from Metallurgical Division of Chongqing University in 1966. 1993 Vice Governor of Sichuan Province. Mayor of Chongqing since 1996. 1997 chosen as the Vice Party Secretary of Chongqing City Communist Party.
Wolfgang Tiefensee -- Lord Mayor elect of Leipzig. 1989-1990 political work in New Forum/Democracy Now and participation in the Leipzig Round Table during the transition to a united Germany. During this period joined Leipzig City Council as a non-party member representing Alliance 90/The Greens. 1995 joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany. 1994 First Deputy Mayor and Head of Department for Youth, Schools and Sport. April 1998 elected Lord Mayor of Leipzig with effect from 1 July 1998. Qualified electronics engineer.
Christian Philip -- First Deputy Mayor of Lyon arid Vice-President of the Lyon Urban Community. Doctor of Law since 1973. Professor at University of Lyon III since 1982. 1986 named Director of Higher Education at the Ministry of Education. Formerly Honorary Chair of France-Quebec Association. Chair of Commission on Training, Youth, Culture and Sport. Several juridical publications to date.
Theresa Stewart -- Leader of Birmingham City Council since 1993. Has been a Labour councillor for 27 years. Has served on key City Council committees including Housing, Education, General Purposes and especially Social Services, which she chaired for four years. Member of the NEC Board. Her voluntary work focuses on education, as a school governor, and young people.
Isaac Mogase -- Mayor of Johannesburg; re-elected every year since 1994. Trained as a teacher then worked as a structural engineer. Helped organise ANC Youth and Football Associations in 1957 in Alexander Township. Chair of Soweto Civic Association for sixteen years; key player in the unification of Johannesburg. Detained for several years without charge. 31 March 1998 awarded African Peace Prize in Oslo.
Gabriele Albertini -- Elected Mayor of Milan on 11 May 1997, so just celebrated one year in office. An independent elected with the support of the Centre-Right coalition, Gabriele was previously an entrepreneur who was President of the Federo Meccanica, the Association of Engineering Employers in the Milan area.
Mel Lastman -- Mayor of Toronto. 1969 entered local government; 1972 elected Mayor. Promotes economic growth and cultural vibrancy. Has introduced programmes to improve urban safety and help socially-excluded groups such as the elderly and children with disabilities. Allocated funding for 500 chronic care beds and breast cancer screening; these are Canada's only municipally-funded programmes of their kind.
Joan Clos -- Mayor of Barcelona. Member of Catalan Socialist Party. Doctor of Medicine and Surgery. 1979 Director of Health Services Department, Barcelona City Council. 1981 Co-ordinator of Public Health. 1983 elected Councillor responsible for Public Health. 1991 Deputy Mayor of Barcelona for Organisational Structure and Economy. 26 September 1997 replaced Pasqual Maragall as Mayor of Barcelona.
Joachim Vandreike -- Mayor of Frankfurt. Came into office in November 1997. Responsible for Department of Social Affairs and Youth. From 1991-1995 responsible for Department of Personnel and Organisation. Joined the OTV trade union in 1967 and the Social Democratic Party of Germany in 1968. Held a number of key trade union posts until 1990. Has spent much of his earlier career in senior positions in the administration of Frankfurt City Council.
Vladimir Yakovlev -- Governor of St. Petersburg. Came to power in June 1996; close ally of Moscow's Mayor Luzhkov. Backed Boris Yeltsin's re-election campaign. Stresses importance of industry, construction and transport; supports small and medium enterprise. Priority is to repair subway system and build highways and railways to Moscow. Hopes to bring 2004 Olympics to St. Petersburg.
Hidenobu Takahide -- Mayor of Yokohama since 1990. Just re-elected for third term of office. Joined Ministry of Construction in 1952. June 1981 Director General, Water Resources Bureau, National Land Agency. July 1983 Chief Engineer, Ministry of Construction. October 1985 became Advisor to the Ministry of Construction. May 1986 became President of the Water Resources Development Corporation. Has a Doctorate in Engineering from the University of Kyoto.
Petra Roth -- Lord Mayor of Frankfurt. Elected Mayor since 1995. Chair of the Frankfurt Christian Democratic Party since 1992 and former Member of the Land Parliament of Hesse. Served for twelve years as representative in Hesse Welfare Organisation; former Chair of Sports Committee in Frankfurt City Council and former CDU Spokesperson on Youth Affairs. 1997 elected President of the German Congress of Municipalities.
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