Co-hosts UN Alliance of Civilizations and The City Los Angeles, in partnership with the Cities of Coventry, La Courneuve, Damietta, Rabat, Seville, and Tunis, supported by LA-based LAMEDINA,
Affirm at the LA Dialogue on Creating Cities of Belonging that:
Against a trend of growing xenophobia, division, bigotry and nativism, cities and civil society are coming together to uphold constructive dialogue, value our cultural diversity and defend our shared humanity.
Cities must go beyond fostering tolerance among diverse communities and strive to create a sense of belonging and of sharing for our residents, whereby all individuals feel valued, heard, and included and their rights are respected.
We must ensure that communities can express and maintain their cultural identity, while at the same time maintaining respect of all of its residents.
A city’s dedication to creating belonging and sharing must be measured by a city’s expectations, intentions and programs that address well-being, economic empowerment, education, housing, environment and others. Despite resource restraints and other barriers to making our cities welcome places for all, we are determined to lead by example.
We all have the political will to make our cities places which ascribe to the UNAOC’s aspiration that we live together as:
“Many cultures, one humanity.”
Cities must go beyond fostering tolerance among diverse communities and strive to create a sense of belonging and of sharing for our residents, whereby all individuals feel valued, heard, and included and their rights are respected.