"The future of the world lies in metropolitan areas"

BarcelonaMore than half of the world's population currently lives in urban areas. And the forecast is that in the next ten years, another 1 billion people will move to the world's metropolises. In total, the UN-Habitat Global State of Metropolises 2020 report predicts that 3.47 billion people will live in these regions, 39% of the world's population. A reality that must make these metropolitan areas a key player in global governance.

This was the demand made this Wednesday in Barcelona by more than one hundred mayors from 25 metropolitan areas around the world. The Catalan capital's City Hall hosted the World Metropolitan Summit, where a declaration was signed in which these regions asserted their decisive role and called for international support. "Strengthening their role [of metropolitan areas] in global governance is not only strategic, but essential for building stability from the ground up," the manifesto states.

The text argues that aspects such as housing, sustainable mobility, climate change, energy consumption and security, digitalization, water scarcity, and waste management, among others, transcend municipal boundaries and "turn metropolitan areas into key players in addressing global issues at the local level." This reality, they argue, highlights "the urgency of improving metropolitan governance as an essential step in addressing today's challenges."

Therefore, they believe that future international and European programs should recognize the "unique characteristics" of metropolitan institutions, providing them with specific resources and tools to foster effective investment implementation. "This includes promoting participatory and supra-local strategies that reflect the long-term development priorities of each metropolitan area and foster decentralization and local-international cooperation," they add.

Collaboration agreement with Ramallah

During the opening of the conference, the mayor of Barcelona and president of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB), Jaume Collboni, asserted that "the future of the world depends on metropolitan areas," and asserted their influence on the international agenda and their ability to improve citizens' daily lives. "By helping to fix a neighborhood, we are helping to fix the world," he said, paraphrasing Mayor Pasqual Maragall.

Collboni went further and suggested that metropolitan areas should be a "counterweight" at a time when "many national governments are questioning major consensuses" such as the fight against climate change or multilateral organizations. The manifesto approved this Wednesday also emphasizes that "in this volatile context," metropolitan areas "are in a unique position to act as bridges for dialogue, platforms for peacebuilding, and drivers of open and resilient economies."

In this sense, Wednesday's event was especially symbolic due to the intervention of the Mayor of Ramallah, Issa Kassis, who emphasized the key role that Palestinian cities play in providing hope and opportunities to their citizens. For this reason, he said, he came to Barcelona to learn from the experiences of other metropolitan areas.

Kassis, who thanked Barcelona for its support for Palestine and its involvement in the Flotilla, argued that without a State for Palestine "there will be no peace, prosperity, and sustainability." Later, Kassis and Collboni signed the collaboration agreement between the cities of Barcelona and Ramallah in areas such as urban development, water management, economic promotion, and cultural, sports, and educational activities and initiatives.

The mayor of Cornellà de Llobregat and vice president of the Metropolitan Area, Antonio Balmón, also highlighted the welcoming role that cities must play and the importance of providing opportunities for new arrivals so they can live with dignity. In this regard, he underscored the need to resolve the housing problem, another of the pillars of the manifesto approved this Wednesday. In the text, the signatories pledged to "implement a bold metropolitan housing policy that guarantees accessibility, affordability, and quality living conditions for all citizens."