Why are local and regional governments essential for promoting, fulfilling, and respecting human rights?
Violence and structural power imbalances are concentrated in impoverished areas and among priority attention groups who face compounded vulnerabilities. These inequalities manifest spatially, echoing David Harvey’s assertion that the right to the city extends beyond access to urban resources to include the right to shape, transform, and recreate the city based on our aspirations (Harvey, 2013).
This compels national and local governments to ensure the Constitution is upheld. Thus, local governments must increasingly commit to realizing the full exercise of rights, with focused attention on rural territories.
Why are human rights relevant values and a useful framework for guiding local action?
Today's cities are products of urban planning shaped largely by privileged white-mestizo men whose lived experiences with infrastructure, mobility, public space, etc., do not reflect the realities of the majority.
This disconnect results in planning that perpetuates various forms of violence, such as:
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Disregarding the individual and collective needs of older adults, women, children, adolescents, migrants, and LGBTI+ groups.
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Ignoring data on:
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Rising violence against women and children
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Increased child labor
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School dropout rates
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Growth in the homeless population
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Precarious working conditions and labor overload
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Rising suicide rates
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Increasing xenophobia, racism, and related forms of intolerance
The city is not designed for inclusion. It prioritizes economic production over social needs, disregarding the foundational role of care-based economies. This reinforces exclusion—the greatest form of violence.
We embrace the definition of care from Fisher and Tronto (1990) as “a species activity that includes everything we do to maintain, continue, and repair our world so that we can live in it as well as possible. That world includes our bodies, our selves, and our environment, all of which we seek to interweave into a complex, life-sustaining web” (Tronto, 2005).
In this context, how can we socially produce habitats and build cities centered on people? By creating new meanings, we can achieve Buen Vivir (Good Living), eradicate violence, and shift the urban paradigm. As Blanca Valdivia suggests, to achieve a more just and equitable society, we must “begin constructing a caring city, where the sustainability of life is at the core of urban decisions.”
To address exclusion and correct disparities between “rich vs. poor cities” and “urban vs. rural,” we must build more just and equitable territories.
We are inspired by the voices of those long unheard, demanding urgent action and accountability. Our efforts include:
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Pact for a Violence-Free Quito
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Pact for a Quito without Discrimination, Xenophobia, and All Related Forms of Intolerance
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Ordinances for: Progressive eradication of child labor, Prevention, rights protection, and social inclusion of people living on the street
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Reform to Metropolitan Ordinance No. 001 – Amendment to the Municipal Code of the Metropolitan District of Quito incorporating recognition and regulation of the services provided by porters, tricycle operators, cart drivers, and cargo caretakers.