On December 3, World Enabled andthe German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) hosted a celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and the launch ofthe Cities For All global campaign and theGlobal Compact on Inclusive and Accessible Cities. This event gathered city leaders from New York City, São Paulo, Chicago, Curitiba, Brazil, and Laayoune, Morocco, for a signing ceremony signifying their commitment toward inclusive and accessible cities for people with disabilities and older people.
World Enabled is leading the Cities For All campaign with the support of United Cities and Local Governments, with a membership of 4,000 mayors from around the world, and the Disability Inclusive and Accessible Urban Development (DIAUD) Network. They are working with co-sponsors such as the United Nations (UN) Human Settlements Programme, German Development Cooperation (BMZ and GIZ), Alianza Smart LATAM, the Office of the UN Special Envoy on Accessibility, and the Office of the UN Special Rapporteur on Disability.
More than 50 participants and leaders in human rights, international development, smart cities, and urban planning, policy and design attended the event, which was held at BMZ headquarters in Berlin.
The Global Compact on Inclusive and Accessible Cities is a declaration that aligns key commitments to accessibility, universal design, and inclusion within The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, New Urban Agenda, and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the World Health Organization’s age-friendly cities and communities initiative. It affirms the rights of one billion women, men, girls, and boys with disabilities and the increasing share of the global population age 60 or older that experience barriers to their equitable participation in society.
The Cities For All global campaign will operationalize the commitments agreed to in the Global Compact on Inclusive and Accessible Citiesby creating an implementation framework that will promote best practices and provide clear guidelines and technical support for city leaders and urban development actors.
For more information, visit www.cities4all.org.