October 31 2017 - The world is reeling from cascading threats. Climate change, pandemics, inequality, conflicts, terrorism and even the terrifying prospect of nuclear war are all on the rise. Yet exactly when international cooperation is most urgently required, collective action is found wanting. Part of the reason is that the four-century-long experiment with nation [...]
Chicago, September 29 2017 - Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed: “The only way we’re going to have a voice big enough to focus on cities instead of nation states is having a unified body where we can think and work and plan. If we don’t have an organization like this we will continue to be relegated to [...]
October 2017 - The Economist has published the Safer Cities Report that analyses the results of the 2017 index, both overall and by each of the four categories: digital security, health security, infrastructure security, and personal security. Additional insight into the index results and urban safety, more generally, was gained through interviews with experts. Three members of the [...]
June 7 2017 - The world is buckling under multiple pressures, including climate change, inequality, migration, pandemics and terrorism. Yet, at precisely the moment collective action is most pressing, international co-operation is coming unstuck. Twentieth-century supranational entities such as the United Nations and World Bank are stumbling. This is because the world's 400-year-old experiment with [...]
Stavanger, September 28, 2017 – Over 45 mayors and deputy mayors representing cities from around the globe, took part in the second Annual Convening of the Global Parliament of Mayors (GPM). Local and tailored solutions to globally-shared challenges was the main theme during the two day deliberations in Stavanger (Norway). All mayors highlighted the role [...]
Stavanger - September 25, 2017 - At the start of the Annual Convening of the Global Parliament of Mayors (GPM), Mayor Leoluca Orlando (Palermo) received the Dr. Benjamin Barber Global Cities Award. Mayor Orlando is rewarded for his tireless endeavour to defend migrant rights and create a safer city by fighting organized crime. He advocates [...]
The Hague, September 22, 2017 - The GPM stands in solidarity with mayor David Smolansky, of El Hatillo (Caracas), who sought political asylum in Brazil on September 14, 2017. Mayor Smolansky is a widely respected member of the opposition party, Mesa de Unidade Democrática (MUD). On 9 August 2017, Venezuela´s Supreme Tribunal for Justice (TSJ) sentenced mayor [...]
The Hague, September 5 2017 - Mayors representing cities from all over the world will convene in Stavanger, Norway, September 24-26, for the Second Annual Meeting of the Global Parliament of Mayors (GPM). The Mayor of Palermo, Leoluca Orlando, will receive the Dr. Benjamin Barber Global Cities Award on Sunday September 24 at the Convening. [...]
Empowering Cities, Resilient Cities, Safe Cities and Inclusive Cities are the critical issues on the program of the GPM Annual Convening 2017. Empowering Cities: The GPM advocates for the right of cities to self-governance and to act on critical issues impacting humankind. Cities do not need to ask for permission from their national counterparts to [...]
Bristol, July 5 - If the test of successful political leadership could be distilled to a single issue, the fight to safeguard our climate would be a strong candidate. With President Trump withdrawing the US from the Paris Climate Change Agreement (COP21), he abdicates a claim to serious leadership. Instead, he has vastly diminished the power and prestige [...]
