Gathered in the heart of Europe in Frankfurt am Main – the cradle of German democracy which began in 1848/1849 with the convening of the Frankfurt National Assembly in the Paulskirche, and a city firmly committed to the values of the European Union –
united in the spirit of “government of the people, by the people, for the people,”
resolute in our desire to develop the democratic idea in innovative ways,
and mindful of the deep scars left by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic
we, the representatives of global cities and metropolises as present in Frankfurt am Main on this day 1 July 2021, issue the following declaration on the future of democracy and the importance of citizen participation:
As elected representatives of our cities, we stand for
- 1. ongoing dialogue with our citizens about the shared future in our cities and in a democratic world;
- 2. a society in which the democratic participation of citizens is accorded paramount importance;
- 3. intensification of the international exchange of experience at the political, social, cultural, and academic levels;
- 4. the core democratic values of our citizens;
- 5. the safeguarding of universal and inalienable human rights in every country of the world;
- 6. finding new, active ways to open up politics and the political decision-making processes to all citizens;
- 7. innovative and modern forms of citizen participation aimed at realizing the democratic ideals of governance.