Circular
20/2018
Barcelona, 8 August 2018
 
To the members of the World Council
To the Secretaries General
To the Vice-Presidents of United Cities and Local Governments
To the Chairs of UCLG Committees, Working Groups, Communities of Practice and Fora

For information: To the Presidency

Cities for Housing: Join this call for action to ensure the right to housing
Members are invited to join the Declaration and take part in the Community of Practice on Housing

Dear members, 
 
Our constituency lived a historical turning point last 15 and 16 July, when the local and regional governments’ delegation brought a firm pledge for the Right to Housing to the High-Level Political Forum in the form of the Declaration “Cities for Adequate Housing”. Initiated by the City of Barcelona and promoted within UCLG by its Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights, this global call for action builds on the #MakeTheShift campaign launched by the UN Rapporteur on Adequate Housing.
 
The Declaration has so far brought together cities like Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Mexico City, Durban, Lisbon, London, Montreal, Montevideo, Plaine Commune, New York, Paris and Seoul in a pledge to tackle market deregulation and the commodification of housing. Cities called for renewed housing strategies and further competences and resources to guarantee adequate housing for all.
 
Why join the Declaration?
 
This Declaration is based on a clear commitment to promote the right to housing and to do it in terms of social inclusion and human rights standards. Local and regional government joining the Declaration will have the opportunity to work together to tackle the housing crisis and commit to implement local actions and policies to advance the right to housing. For that purpose, the UCLG World Organization will facilitate a Community of Practice on Housing.
 
The Community of Practice on Housing
 
The Community of Practice on Housing will be the space for signatory cities to transform the Declaration into concrete actions for the right to housing. The Community will work to:

• Identify main obstacles and opportunities for adequate housing policies, both in the Global North and South;
• Exchange, share and assess policies and practices aimed at fostering access to adequate housing for all;
• Promote successful policies and practices to tackle real estate speculation and guarantee the right to housing at international level;
• Develop joint advocacy strategies at the global level to advance the right to housing in international and national agendas, contributing to the #MakeTheShift campaign;
• Disseminate the Declaration among signatory cities’ partners and allies (networks, civil society, academia) in order to raise awareness and promote ownership of its content at the local level.

UCLG invites all members to join the Declaration and play an active role in the Community of Practice on Housing.
  
How to join

To become a signatory city or region, please send an email to citiesforhousing@uclg.org expressing your interest in joining the Declaration.

Following this initial email, you will receive a template formal letter to be signed by the Mayor or President of the government you represent. You will further be invited to join the community of practice by filling in an online form.

After that, your city will officially be part of the global movement of cities for the right to housing – and your name will appear on the website as a signatory local government.
 
Sincerely,

The UCLG World Secretariat
 

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED THIS EMAIL BECAUSE YOU ARE SUBSCRIBED TO THE UCLG WORLD COUNCIL MAILING LIST.
SHOULD YOU NOT BE RECEIVING THESE MESSAGES ON BEHALF OF A MEMBER OF THE UCLG WORLD COUNCIL, OR SHOULD YOU NO LONGER WISH TO RECEIVE INSTITUTIONAL MESSAGES FROM UCLG, PLEASE WRITE TO UCLGExBu@uclg.org

 
Please click on the links below to access the following documents: