The city of Chefchaouen has hosted this summit, which aims to give visibility to the importance that cities of between 50.000 and one million inhabitants have in global agendas
Chefchaouen, Morocco.– The 1st World Forum of Intermediary Cities has been held in Chefchaouen (Morocco) on the 5th, 6th and 7th July 2018. The International Observatory on Participatory Democracy (IOPD) has been there represented by different member cities such as Cuenca (Ecuador), Molina de Segura (Spain) and Valongo (Portugal), which have defended the importance of citizens' participation in the definition, implementation and evaluation of city policies. A roundtable and a workshop have specifically treated the citizens' participation in intermediary cities, but the participatory thematic has been transversally treated throughout the event.
A unique chance
Having in mind that Intermediary Cities are each one of them inscribed in their own territories, they offer a unique chance to complete the sustainability agendas through their development.
The call made by the Intermediary Cities through this World Forum is to those international institutions that have launched the Global Agendas, to engage in processes and policies that will allow Intermediary Cities to take their responsibilities, through unlocking the unique potential they offer, enabling everyone to take their responsibility towards the future of the planet.
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The round table about citizens' participation took place on Friday 6th July and it was moderated by the professor Yves Cabannes. The IOPD coordinator Adrià Duarte also took part in this panel by defending the need to include citizens' participation in a local system with its rules, rights and security system. Also, he emphasized the need to work in the participation field in an inclusive way and the need to coordinate participation through a combination of digital and conventional channels.