"The inhabitants have their own words,
why not listen to them?"

We, the inhabitants of Latin America, of Africa and of Europe, are gathered in the Inhabitants Forum at Istanbul, on the occasion of the world City Summit. This exchange of experience has made us stronger and more sure of ourselves. It has also permitted us to agree on a certain number of ideas and demands expressed hereafter.

The outcome is sufficient to demonstrate the incongruity that exists in the organisation of a world summit on habitat, without including the inhabitants as cities only exist because of their inhabitants. The institutions present at this summit, however spent little time speaking with the inhabitants, preferring, no doubt to speak on their behalf.

"We struggle and move forward to be able to recover the
pride, the words, the citizenship, in the face of those
who ignore us"

Every man, every woman, every community based group, deserves consideration and recognition. Often, however, the inhabitant is prevented from achieving this dignity through their own actions and their own voice by those decision maker who ignore them, who do not respect them, who avoid them. Inhabitants have experiences that are worth knowing, and a know-how that must be taken into consideration by the authorities.

"We, the people, cannot live in the air or in the sea;
we have the right to exist and to live on the earth"

All local authorities must therefore, guarantee to the men and women who comprise them the right to have a roof, private space, secure and protected. This right can come from a property title or can equally be founded on continued use which confers a legitimacy to live in a house, on the earth.

"To protest is insufficient, we must propose, to be able to
agree and to make ourselves heard and to act"

The inhabitants, therefore, must learn the rules of the game, to educate themselves, to know how to place themselves in the position of true negotiator, vis a vis decision-makers. But, they must have access to all necessary information, in a form intelligible to the majority, and not only by the experts. They should also be given the space and the opportunity to meet and to regroup. Citizenship is built in the long term by respecting the rhythms of the inhabitants.

"We do not call into question the existence of authorities, we
simply ask that they play their role as decision-makers in such a
way that we can play our role as active citizens. We would
less promises but promises that are kept"

What is disheartening for the inhabitant-citizen is to find themselves before the responsible authorities then disengage themselves or pass the responsibility onto others. Collective action and tenacity appear to be the most reliable methods for citizens to be included in the decision-making process, to overcome the inertia, even in the negative strategies of certain decision-makers.

"It's terrible to fight against enemies who
never show their faces."

The worst thing inhabitants can do is to give in to pressure in any form, even if they find their lives threatened, or if they are pursuing their actions in a lawful manner. Law, information and solidarity must always be used to oppose violence.

"Inhabitants learn the rules of the game, but their partners
sometimes fail to respect the rules that they have themselves
made, or they suddenly change them"

The partnership with local and public authorities is often difficult to establish. Democratic representation is often deceiving. Political changes often result in the reversal of previous committed to projects necessitating, then to start the whole process over again. The risk of "recuperation", to the exclusive benefit of intermediaries is a real threat.

"Only a transparent convention with our
partners can protect us"

In order to be lasting and stable, the rules and modalities of partnership must be clearly and justly negotiated between the authorities and the inhabitants. They must be written and consolidated through the elaboration of a social contract or agreement signed by both parties and widely disseminated. This must include a mechanism for inhabitants to be associated with the monitoring of the implementation of the agreement.

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