Faculty Lead Dialogue with Global Mayors
The Global Parliament of Mayors, “a governance body of, by and for mayors,” concluded its third annual summit in Bristol, UK, an event that brought together mayors from across the globe to debate, discuss and vote on the key challenges facing urban centers today.
The Global Parliament of Mayors concluded its third annual summit in Bristol, UK, an event that brought together mayors from across the globe, spanning all continents and regions, as well as experts on global cities and city networks, and officials from the United Nations and other multilateral organizations. Hosted by mayor of Bristol, Mayor Marvin Rees, the three-day event included panels, plenary sessions, debates, and discussions, as well as a hot air balloon spectacle, a circus, a tour of the historic town of Bristol, and a dinner event that took place “under the wings of the Concorde,” the world’s only supersonic airplane to carry passengers, which was retired in 2003.
The theme of the 2018 Summit was “Empowering Cities as Drivers of Change” Which explored how cities are taking the lead on advancing a progressive global agenda. The mayors met in a formal parliament-like setting, in Bristol’s Council Chamber, and debated and voted on several key topics pertaining to urbanization, notably including migration urban security, and urban health. On the latter topic, Dr. Rebecca Katz, Associate Professor in the Department of International Health at Georgetown’s School of Nursing and Health Studies, presented her research on urban pandemics, discussed the challenges associated with the outbreak and spread of disease in urban centers, and outlined ways in which mayors can best prepare for such an outbreak.
A virtual voting platform allowed all of the participating mayors to submit and visual their votes, in real time, by the touch of a button, while sitting in the beautiful and historic City Hall Building, which was built just after World War II. The 2018 Summit honored the late Dr. Benjamin Barber, author of If Mayors Ruled the World, which outlined blueprint for the GPM in its final chapter. The GPM is, according to its mission statement, “a governance body of, by and for mayors from all continents,” which focuses on tackling local challenges resulting from global problems. It aspires to not only bring mayors together to exchange and share best practices, but to proactively push for practical, action oriented solutions to their urban problems at the global level.
Prof. Sheila Foster (Law Center, McCourt School) and Chrystie Swiney (Global Cities Doctoral Fellow, Government) presented research on contemporary global city networks. This research will be used by the GPM to chart its future direction and scope of work, and will form the basis of various publications in the coming months.
The GMP 2018 Summit ended with a formal declaration by the participating mayors, which emphasized the need and the desire for local leaders around the globe to continue to collaborate in search of shared solutions for the globe’s key challenges, nearly all of which are, in reality, urban challenges.