The Global Parliament of Mayors Project

MISSION STATEMENT

The Global Parliament of Mayors Project supports the research and network of the Global Parliament of Mayors, which had its inaugural convening in The Hague on September 9, 10, and 11, 2016. This convening established a new governance body of, by and for mayors from all continents. It builds on the experience, expertise and leadership of mayors in tackling local challenges resulting from global problems. At the same time, it brings local knowledge to the table and thus participates actively in global strategy debates and underscores the need for practical, action oriented solutions.The GPM is a global city rights movement. Its members are mayors of cities and their metropolitan regions or agglomerations. Their proximity and pragmatism allow mayors to be true voices on behalf of their cities.

In our interdependent 21st century world, nation states and international organizations are finding it ever more difficult to respond to the global challenges facing humanity, from climate change and immigration, to terrorism and pandemic disease, from spreading inequality and global markets to new technology and religious conflict. At the same time, cities are demonstrating a remarkable capacity to govern themselves democratically and efficiently, both locally and, in networks, globally. We believe it is not only their responsibility, but their right to do so, and it is for this reason that we convened the Global Parliament of Mayors – a new beacon for global governance on climate change and other critical issues in what is becoming a year of extraordinary promise and a season of hope for humankind.

The concept for a Global Parliament of Mayors is the work of internationally acclaimed political theorist and author, Dr. Benjamin Barber and is the result of many years’ research, distilled in his most recent book, If Mayors Ruled the World: Dysfunctional Nations, Rising Cities, published in 2013 by Yale University Press.

The GPM Project also works closely with the Fordham Urban Consortium. The Fordham Urban Consortium was established to foster an intellectual and research ecosystem of faculty, graduate students, centers and institutes at Fordham University. Situated across two affiliated campuses in midtown Manhattan and in the Bronx, the Consortium proposes to undertake interdisciplinary applied research in which scholars and researchers work hand in hand with community-based practitioners, entrepreneurs, social innovators, and city agencies to achieve a number of broad-based urban goals ranging from democratic participation and inclusion to social justice and urban equality.