Ecocity World Summit, an event aimed at reflecting on how to build and manage sustainable cities from an environmental, social and political perspective.
One of the themes of the Summit focused on the issues of "Governance and Democracy" and in this context, Montréal City Council organised a round table on "Human rights in the city", to which it invited the Committee´s Executive Secretary to present the Global Charter-Agenda for Human Rights in the City and the European Charter for the Safeguarding of Human Rights in the City. Two representatives of Montréal, one representing the City Council and the other from civil society, presented the Montréal Charter of Rights and Responsibilities.
This charter was adopted in 2006 as a result of an intensive dialogue between local government and the Montreal civil society. Since then, a local ombudsman has monitored the implementation of the charter. As Montréal was the first city in North America to adopt a human rights charter, the city was invited by the Committee to join the group drafting the Charter-Agenda and has since taken part in several international debates organised to discuss the initiative.
The Mayor of Montréal, Mr. Gérald Tremblay, was one of the most enthusiastic advocates of the Charter-Agenda when it was presented at the meeting of the UCLG Executive Bureau in Mexico in November 2010. It is anticipated that the next UCLG World Council, which will be held in Florence (Italy) in December this year, will formally approve the Charter-Agenda and make it a tool for promoting human rights in the city.
For more information:
- Ecocity World Summit: http://www.ecocity2011.com
- Montréal City Council:http://www.ville.montreal.qc.ca/sitemap