Marta Suplicy*

The opening of Urbis 2002 - International Fair and Congress of Cities on June 5 at the Anhembi convention center will transform the city of São Paulo into a showcase for cities from across the globe.

Of all the levels of government, local government has the most direct interaction with the general public. Moreover, it is where innovative policies are first launched, to later become national and global references. Local governments can and should promote the exchange of experiences and develop cooperation agreements with international institutions. Actions such as these will help to foster greater awareness of creative and bold ideas that provide favorable results, and also disseminate on an international level the initiatives that have met with success.

With the world population increasingly more concentrated in urban areas, it is precisely these areas that suffer from the serious consequences of both policies that indiscriminately open up a country's economy and the current environment of exclusionary globalization. Local government is where citizens demand quick and efficient responses from their politicians - in our case from their mayor. It is also at this level where initiatives emerge, with the participation of society in general, to fight poverty, achieve sustainable development, expand the supply of low-income housing, and decentralize health and education services while maintaining quality.

Urbis 2002 will bring together a wide array of participants - Brazilian cities and those from around the world, city networks, NGOs, international organizations, universities and companies - that will present many projects and policies for local government, and products and services targeted at municipalities. This pioneering strategy will place our city at the center of an international exchange of experiences centered around urban administration.

To ensure that Urbis 2002 effectively comes to serve as a privileged forum for discussion on local government policies, in addition to the participation of cities, we are also inviting institutions that develop projects and initiatives in partnership with city governments. Participants will also include financial institutions that lend or provide assistance to municipalities, non-governmental organizations, and companies that supply goods and services to municipalities.

The participation of companies is critical, since it is common for their relationship with government to take place behind the scenes, without the minimum standards of transparency. In Urbis 2002, companies can showcase their products - in the light of day, and in a democratic fashion - to the representatives of local government attending the fair.

It is important to bear in mind that Brazilian local government accounts for 50% of fixed investments and 40% of expenditures made by public organs in Brazil that are responsible for direct administration.

São Paulo will take advantage of Urbis 2002 to show the innovative projects it has developed in the area of social inclusion. The tele-centers, created to overcome the stigma of digital exclusion, are just one example. Others include the Minimum Income, Work Scholarship, and Begin Again program, which together make up the largest municipal program in Latin America aimed at the redistribution of wealth.

Urbis 2002 will also provide an opportunity to learn about the important projects that are being implemented in some of the principal cities around the world, such as Turin, Milan, Paris, Osaka, Shanghai, Quebec Province, Cleveland, Mexico City, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, and Tunis, to name just a few.

Developing partnerships with other cities will reclaim visibility for Brazil's cities and help to bolster negotiations with the federal government and with international lending organizations. That said, cities must also develop an alternative national project, and help to make more inclusive globalization a reality.

The narrowing of relationships between São Paulo and other cities around the world has, in addition to projecting our city onto the international arena, revealed the growing role of cities in international discussions on the economic, social and environmental challenges faced by all the citizens of the world.

The international isolation that was forced upon São Paulo during the last two mayoral administrations is finally being broken. Today, we already are affiliated with the principal international city networks. One example is the World Federation of United Cities (WFUC), in which São Paulo will become vice-president for Latin America. The WFUC is in the process of merging with another city network, the International Union of Local Authorities (IULA).

São Paulo also participates actively in the Mercocidades Network, which brings together city governments located in Mercosul trade bloc countries, by coordinating environmental issues. São Paulo is especially active in preparing the cities for the United Nations Summit for Sustainable Development, to be held in Johannesburg in September.

This international advocacy is the result of efforts made by the entire São Paulo municipal administration, under the coordination of the International Relations Secretariat. It is not by mere chance that Urbis 2002 is receiving sponsorship from such a wide range of institutions: Itamaraty, Unesco, Habitat, Ethos Institute, National Mayors' Front, Mercocidades Network, WFUC, and others.

I am certain that during the four days of this important international event, participants will have the opportunity to, in democratic fashion, put forward ideas, raise debates, propose alternative solutions, and present products and services. Our cosmopolitan vocation will undoubtedly help to show the strategic importance of Urbis 2002, and from this point forward make it a permanent fixture in the agenda of all the cities of the world.


*Marta Suplicy, 56, has a degree in psychology and is currently mayor of São Paulo (Workers' party).


Published in Folha de São Paulo, 16/05/02, p. A-3