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Iztapalapa, Mexico: IAI participation in the 19th Conference held by the International Observatory on Participatory Democracy

The International Alliance of Inhabitants (IAI) was present at the 19th Conference of the International Observatory on Participatory Democracy (OIDP) held in Iztapalapa (Mexico) on 7, 8, 9 and 10 December 2019.

The motto for this edition of the conference was "Participatory cities with full rights: Participatory Democracy and Human Rights" and was organized by the OIDP General Secretary and Iztapalapa municipality with the support of Mexico City.

The IAI played an active role in the debates and gave two keynote speeches, one on Monday 9th December in the Quetzalcóatl Auditorium entitled: From Social Movements to Public Management. The role of social movements: dive into institutional policy or work on the sidelines .

The speakers were: 

  • Elizabeth Santos IAI - Venezuela
  • Bartiria Lima CONAM-IAI - Brazil
  • Jaime Rello, MUP - Mexico
  • Adel Azzabi, Association des habitants de Mourouj 2 - Tunisia
  • Jai Sen, School of International Studies on Development and Globalization, University of Ottawa, WSF - India

and the moderator was:

  • Valeria Procupez, John Hopkins University, MOI - Argentina.

Focusing on the theme, the IAI talked in detail about the experiences of its organizations in Venezuela and Brazil as well as highlighting the importance of social organizations targeting public policies with advocacy.

On 10th December, the IAI, represented by Emilio Rodriguez IAI-Pobladores México, took part in the conference: Right to the City and Participatory Democracy, the visible and invisible side to cities: informal settlements, mega-projects and the environment . There was an analysis of the negative impact of mega-projects on the environment.

The IAI delegation took part in meetings with communities, holding a people's meeting with the Experiencia de la Unión de Colonos San Miguel Teotongo.

Three days of in-depth discussions and experience-sharing culminated in the final declaration. It was a call from local governments and participants to towns, cities and communities, social actors and politicians to unite wills to act in order to halt the powerful speculative interests that use cities as goods, creating plundering, segregation, gentrification and breakdown of the social fabric. 

In an atmosphere of joy and camaraderie, the event concluded with an award given to cities with participatory initiatives, and the new seat for the OIDP in 2020 was chosen: the city of Cocody in Ivory Coast.

You can read the final declaration here: https://www.oidp.net/docs/repo/doc666.pdf


Il(la) Traduttore(trice) Volontario(a) per il diritto alla casa senza frontiere dell’IAI che ha collaborato con la traduzione di questo testo è

Philippa Bowe Smith