Enhancing Urban Governance: Beijing Declaration on Modernising Urban Governance (2024)
The "Beijing Declaration on Modernising Urban Governance (2024)" was released at the 2024 Beijing Forum on Swift Response to Public Complaints, marking a significant step towards enhancing urban governance. The declaration was unveiled by Beijing municipal leaders, along with counterparts from Madrid, Spain, San Jose, and Costa Rica, at the closing ceremony of the forum.
Key Proposals
The Beijing Declaration outlines several key proposals aimed at improving cities, including:
- People-Centred Development, Making Cities Better: This proposal focuses on ensuring that urban planning and development are people-centred, prioritizing the needs and well-being of citizens.
- Rule of Law, Making Cities More Just: This proposal emphasizes the importance of rule of law in ensuring fairness, justice, and accountability in urban governance.
- Diversity and Inclusiveness, Making Cities More Friendly: This proposal promotes diversity and inclusiveness in urban governance, ensuring that all citizens have equal opportunities and are treated with respect and dignity.
- Demand-Driven Governance, Making Cities More Responsive: This proposal encourages demand-driven governance, where urban planning and development are driven by citizen needs and expectations.
- Digital-Intelligence Empowerment, Making Cities Smarter: This proposal promotes the use of digital technologies to empower citizens and improve urban governance, making cities more responsive and efficient.
- Resilience Building, Making Cities Safer: This proposal focuses on building resilience in cities, ensuring that they are better equipped to respond to natural disasters, climate change, and other crises.
- Multi-Party Collaboration, Making Cities More Harmonious: This proposal promotes multi-party collaboration and coordination between different stakeholders, ensuring that urban governance is more effective and harmonious.
- Ecological Conservation, Making Cities More Beautiful: This proposal emphasizes the importance of ecological conservation in urban governance, ensuring that cities are more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
- Cultural Exchanges and Mutual Learning, Making Cities More Open: This proposal promotes cultural exchanges and mutual learning between cities, fostering global understanding and cooperation.
Sharing Experiences and Insights
At the forum’s closing session, participants from diverse backgrounds shared their experiences and insights into governance challenges and solutions. David Moser, an associate professor at the International Culture Institute, Capital Normal University, highlighted the importance of the Beijing 12345 hotline in providing comprehensive assistance to foreigners. Wing Yan Chan, a member of the All-China Youth Federation, suggested that the hotline model could be applied to Hong Kong and other cities to build a larger database and fully utilize big data. Anton Bogs, a research fellow at the Freie Universität Berlin and visiting scholar at the School of Government, Peking University, noted that Germany also has a citizen hotline, but it does not provide the same level of comprehensive assistance as the Beijing hotline. Huang Qingxian, a professor at the Zhou Enlai School of Government, Nankai University, praised the Beijing hotline for establishing an excellent standard and model for urban governance systems and solutions.
Conclusion
The Beijing Declaration on Modernising Urban Governance (2024) is a significant step towards enhancing urban governance and improving the lives of citizens. By promoting people-centred development, rule of law, diversity and inclusiveness, and other key proposals, cities can become more responsive, efficient, and sustainable. The declaration serves as a model for urban governance systems and solutions, providing valuable insights and lessons for cities around the world.
FAQs
- What is the Beijing Declaration on Modernising Urban Governance (2024)?
The Beijing Declaration is a declaration aimed at enhancing urban governance, outlining several key proposals to improve cities.
- Who unveiled the Beijing Declaration?
Beijing municipal leaders, along with counterparts from Madrid, Spain, San Jose, and Costa Rica, unveiled the declaration at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Beijing Forum on Swift Response to Public Complaints.
- What are the key proposals outlined in the Beijing Declaration?
The key proposals include People-Centred Development, Rule of Law, Diversity and Inclusiveness, Demand-Driven Governance, Digital-Intelligence Empowerment, Resilience Building, Multi-Party Collaboration, Ecological Conservation, and Cultural Exchanges and Mutual Learning.
- What is the Beijing 12345 hotline?
The Beijing 12345 hotline is a comprehensive assistance service provided by the Beijing government, offering information and support to foreigners.
- Can the hotline model be applied to other cities?
Yes, the hotline model can be applied to other cities, enabling them to build a larger database and fully utilize big data.