Montréal Declaration on Metropolitan Areas

Delegations from UCLG and Metropolis were in Montreal from 6 to 7 October to participate in the Montréal Thematic Meeting on Metropolitan Areas organized by the Montreal Metropolitan Community. The event was within the framework of preparations for the Third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) to be held in Quito in 2016.

The Montréal Declaration on Metropolitan Areas defines the main challenges, necessary transformations for building more inclusive and interdependent metropolitan areas in addition to mechanisms for implementation.

The Declaration integrates key messaging from UCLG, Metropolis and its members as well as representatives of civil society, including:

  • Placing the right to the city for all at the center of metropolitan policies
  • Providing metropolitan governance with a clear legal and institutional framework founded on the principles of democracy, the respect for local autonomy and subsidiarity
  • Promoting financing which is adapted to metropolitan challenges
  • Recognizing cultural and gender equality as core dimensions of metropolitan policies

Local and regional governments also reaffirmed the necessity to ensure cohesion and solidarity between the territories which make up metropolitan areas in order to provide metropoles with equalization mechanisms as well as the need to promote civic participation in the decision-making process.

  The Montréal Thematic Meeting allowed metropolitan areas to say loud and clear  that they are key stakeholders and an important part of the solution for attaining sustainable urbanization.”

Denis Coderre, Mayor of Montréal and President of the    Montreal Metropolitan Community.

A committee will be put in place to ensure the promotion and follow-up of the Montréal Declaration on Metropolitan Areas and its inclusion into the New Urban Agenda. The committee will be comprised of presidents and co-presidents representing Member States, local governments and civil society during the conference in Montreal. The creation of an international observatory on metropolitan areas is also expected.

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