Forum China-Europe 2007
Urban Inhabitants of China and Europe: Citizens as builders of the cities of the future?
Preparations are afoot for the 2nd edition of the “China-Africa Forum”, involving 45 workshops on themes as diverse as environmental and governance rights, military and business issues, in various parts of Europe, with a view to building dialogue between the far east and the old continent.
In this way inhabitants will have their say on g-local strategies to uphold the right to housing, transformation of cities in Europe and China, respect for human rights, social inclusion and participation of institutions in building the cities of the future. Participants are expected to include roughly twenty representatives of social organisations (tenants’ committees, social centres, community organisations, pressure groups) and other stakeholders in habitant and urban-related fields.
The International Alliance of Inhabitants views the seminar as a strategic event, timed to coincide with the start of the World Zero Evictions Days (October 2007), ahead of the first European States General on Housing (Brussels, 5-6 November 2007) and the 4th World Urban Forum (Nanjing, China, 13-17 October 2008).
An initiative promoted by the Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation, the Free University of Brussels (VUB), the People’s University of China, the Sun Yat-Sen University and the European Union, the forum is an opportunity for encounters and debate between the people of China and Europe, thereby allowing for discussion, growth and sharing experiences on the challenges of the modern world.
The Rome session shall be entirely devoted to issues of housing, cities undergoing transformation and anticipated challenges.
The final stage of the second edition of the Forum takes place in Brussels on 6 and 7 October, and will consist of a plenary session drawing more than 600 representatives from the two continents.