About “Caring Cities”

The theme of the event is ‘Caring Cities’ and it will also be the theme of political plenary session to be held on 17 July 2013.

´Caring Cities´ are based on 4 broad principles:

• 1. Cities that present a high quality of life to all its citizens
• 2. Cities that display a sense of humanity and sharing
• 3. Cities that provide comfort and dignity for all its citizens
• 4. Cities that offer solutions that are communally responsive

The theme is based on the concept of Ubuntu, an African ethic or humanist philosophy focusing on people's allegiances and relations with each other. The underlying values of this extraordinary philosophy seek to honor the dignity of each person and are concerned with the development and maintenance of mutually affirming and enhancing relationships. 

The theme of ´Caring Cities´ is also founded on the general principles of Ubuntu which are:

•  About listening to and affirming others with the help of processes that create trust, fairness, shared understanding and dignity and harmony in relationships.
•  About the desire to build a caring, sustainable and just response to the community whether that be a company, village, city, nation or our global family.
•  Because of its emphasis on our common humanity and the ethical call to embody our communal responsiveness in the world, Ubuntu offers an alternative way to re-create a world that works for all. 
•  People, businesses and countries would re-experience how to live together with respect, compassion and dignity and justice and to re-organize resources accordingly.
•  Ubuntu, applied to business and corporate responsibility, would be ultimately about sharing wealth and making (at the very least) basic services accessible and visible to all members of our global family.