Article by: Mallora Rayner, Earth Charter Canada Network
On behalf of Earth Charter International, Walas sent a delegation to Quito, Ecuador for Habitat III. A record number of thought leaders, citizens and government officials from 167 countries gathered for the third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) in October 2016.
Focusing on the future of cities, the conference offered a full schedule of events, assemblies and dialogues to guide our global actions for the next 20 years in sustainable and transformative urban development.
The culmination was the adoption of the New Urban Agenda. The New Urban Agenda is an action oriented document intended to set global standards of achievement in sustainable urban development in alignment with the values and principles defined in the Earth Charter.
As part of the events, Earth Charter friend and affiliate Gerben van Straaten joined UNEP for a panel discussion on “Better Cities, Better Lifestyles” held on 18 October.
The session explored the need for holistic approaches, how to engage individuals in more sustainable community development and understanding why we make the choices we do to consume, individually and as a society, and was very well received.
It was exhilarating to see the excitement around the values and principles of the Earth Charter. From around the globe, other delegations and local workers, the Earth Charter received so much respect and love.
As a result of our joint presence in Quito, we are exploring further collaboration and engaging with requests from all over the globe to work together, and share our stories about social responsibility, sustainable community development, and the Earth Charter.