400 administrators, citizens, economists, experts and professionals from all over the world will meet at Castel Gandolfo, Rome, from 17 to 20 January 2019 for four days of discussion and study on urban management, networking and models of sustainability and living together.

IAmong the experts and protagonists that will participate in this conference and share their thought and experience in a “post-democratic” era, one finds Emilce Cuda, a politologist from Argentina well-versed in Pope Francis’ thought, the Hon. Sunggon Kim (김성곤), Buddhist, former General Secretary of the Korean National Assembly, Ximena Samper, an architect from Colombia and the Hon. Ghassan Mukheiber from Lebanon, Chairman of the Arab Region Parliamentarians Against Corruption. The Mayor of Katowice, Poland, where the COP 24 has just taken place, Angel Miret, coordinator of the operational committee for refugees in Catalonia and Izzedin Elzir, the President of the Islamic Community in Florence and Tuscany are also expected to participate.

Urban management has always been a complex task, but today it is even more so. It needs to answer to a continuously changing society, that faces local and global problems and is conditioned by an uncontrollable technological development that causes the risk of great economical chasms and unprecedented areas of new poverty. Decisions need to be taken today, but these determine the future. Cities have a very strong strategical, political and cultural importance; they are “home” for more than half the world’s population (source UN), and this is not a free choice but it is often linked to lack of food and work.

In this era dominated by sovereignities, cities are becoming real social hubs with an endless number of connections: civil, political, anthropological, economical, communicative. They express a new identity model, marked not by exasperating localism or nationalism, but by participation and sharing in the same common affair, as we all belong to the same human family, even before we participate in it.

Why Co-Governance

Co-responsability is essential; a pact of reciprocal responsability between citizens and administrators, politicians and technical people is needed.This will be the focal point of the conference.

Main topics and speakers

The following topics will be discussed:

URBAN PLANNING

It is essential that urban planning converges on the needs of the citizens.

Main speakers:

Ximena Samper – architect, UNI Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotà, Colombia

Federico Restrepo – engineer, former Director of EPM, Medellin

Mario Tancredi – urbanist, architect, UNI de La Salle, Bogotà – Politecnico, Milano.

Giovanni Vecchio – urbanist, Universidad Catolica, Chile

DIGITAL WORLD AND NETWORKING BETWEEN CITIES

The great challenge of smart cities and digital technology provides also tools and resources that offer an opportunity for more participation and leadership.

Main speakers:

Fadi Chehadé – former CEO of ICANN and founder of Vocado, Viacore, and RosettaNet

Ivan Turatti – founder at OPENIDEA.biz, Communication Empowerment

Cristina Montoya – Social and Political Sciences, Sophia UI, Loppiano It, NetOne.

CORRUPTION

A culture of corruption often takes root in a favourable environment where even citizens are involved in it. It is absolutely necessary to rediscover the beneficial value of an ethics of common good and treasure past experiences.

Main speakers:

Adriana Cosseddu – Criminal Law, UNI Sassari, Italy, Communion and Law

Ghassan Mukheiber – Chairman Arab Region Parliamentarians Against Corruption

Dieudonne Upira Sunguma – PGA’s Executive Committee, Chairman of DR Congo

Iole Mucciconi – manager, Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Rome, Italy

FULL CITIZENSHIP FOR EVERYONE

Cities will be analysed from the point of view of urban citizenship: what cities do and are able to do to promote the inclusion of people in their peripheries.

Main speakers:

Marco Filippeschi – former mayor of Pisa, Vice President of “Città per la fraternità”,   Italy

Pierfrancesco Majorino – councillor for Social Policies, Milan, Italy

Angel Miret – coordinator of the operational committee for refugees in Catalonia

ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE

It is essential that cities form an integral part of the solution to fight climate change.

Main speakers:

Luca Fiorani – researcher at ENEA, Professor of Climate Physics at “Roma Tre” University, Chair of EcoOne

Simon Borg – Environmental & Resources Law University of Malta

Marcin Krupa – mayor of Katowice, Poland

The programme is expected to include themes on the main topics, workshops, intercultural working groups that will discuss the importance of participation in today’s interdependent context. Another decisive part of the programme will be the sharing on good practices and the networking between cities to implement innovative and foward-looking policies.

Co-Governance is being organized by “New Humanity Movement”, “Movement for Politics & Policy for Unity” and “Associazione Città per la Fraternità”.

For further information:

cogovernance2019@gmail.com  – www.co-governance.org