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Mayor Bell Part of Launch Event for Inclusive Growth in Cities Campaign Partnering with OECD and Ford Foundation

Media Advisory

Contact: April Odom

Mayor’s Office of Public Information

(205) 807-7411

 Today, Mayor William Bell will help launch the global inclusive growth in cities campaign at Ford Foundation Headquarters in New York City.
The global coalition of mayors is envisaged as a “coalition of the willing”: a group of leaders who commit to promoting a more inclusive form of economic growth in cities. The founding group of Champion Mayors will be comprised of mayors who have already demonstrated a strong commitment to tackling inequality in their city.

From Angel Gurría Secretary-General OECD and Darren Walker President Ford Foundation, “You [Mayor Bell] have made the fight against inequality a driving force in your agenda as Mayor. This issue is also at the core of the work of the OECD and the Ford Foundation. Today, we are taking this work one step further – to cities and regions, because mayors are among the best placed to champion the policies and practices on the ground that can reduce inequality and improve opportunities for all citizens. We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Inclusive Growth in Cities Campaign and the creation of a global coalition of Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth.”

Members of this global coalition will work together to advance an Inclusive Growth agenda and to help pave the way toward more equitable cities worldwide. These efforts will also support the implementation of the recently adopted United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11, which calls for inclusive, safe, and resilient cities.

“This is a great honor. Our City has made such an impact on the global human rights movement as well as the efforts of global inclusion and diversity that it really is a testament to the men and women who went before us, shed their blood, sweat and tears in order to see the Birmingham of today. One of the most critical next generation civil rights issue facing our city is that of economic empowerment. The hope is that this group of global leaders can begin to enact long term, substantive change in providing jobs and economic opportunities for our citizens,” said Mayor William Bell.

The Inclusive Growth in Cities Campaign aims to provide mayors with a unique platform in the global debate on inequality, enabling them to share their voices and perspectives with national governments and other key stakeholders. It will also provide mayors with the opportunity to exchange concrete solutions to address inequality and empower local governments as leaders in the transition towards more inclusive growth.

Mayor Bell is scheduled to address the delegation and the global audience via webcast at 3:00 (CST).

About the OECD

The mission of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. The OECD provides a forum in which governments can work together to share experiences and seek solutions to common problems. They work with governments to understand what drives economic, social and environmental change. The OECD measures productivity and global flows of trade and investment and analyze and compare data to predict future trends. They set international standards on a wide range of things, from agriculture and tax to the safety of chemicals. More information can be found at oecd.org.

Ford Foundation

The Ford Foundation was established by Edsel Ford in 1936, with an initial gift of $25,000. Today, the foundation is stewards of a $12 billion endowment. Over the past 80 years their social justice mission and vision have guided the foundation through transformations in the foundation, the communities served, and the world at large.
“We believe in the inherent dignity of all people. But around the world, too many people are excluded from the political, economic, and social institutions that shape their lives.

Across eight decades, our mission has sought to reduce poverty and injustice, strengthen democratic values, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement.”

More information can be found at www.fordfoundation.org.

 

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