Rui Moreira brings innovation to equality in Porto, the international conference of mayors

The Mayor of Porto was present at the Champion Mayors Initiative for Inclusive Growth, of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). As part of Bloomberg CityLab 2022, which runs until Tuesday in Amsterdam, Netherlands, it promotes the sharing of innovative experiences in the fight against social and economic inequalities.

Rui Moreira met with Dagur Eggertsson, Mayor of Reykjavik (Iceland) and the Board of Directors of Champion Mayors Initiative for Inclusive Growth, and Lamai Kamal-Chaoui, Director of the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities.

In an initiative that brought together mayors from around the world, the mayor shared the initiatives carried out in the city of Porto, namely its commitment to carbon neutrality and the circular economy, the policy of monthly subscription of public transport for young people and families, or the affordable housing program Porto com Sentido (Porto with Meaning).

“I can't conceive of running a city that is prosperous, but only for a few. I undertook to govern in an inclusive way, using investment attraction and access to culture as instruments of social cohesion and true democracy, giving skills and working in a network with local stakeholders for maximum impact”, defended Rui Moreira.

This Champion Mayors Initiative for Inclusive Growth, which also had the contributions – in person or online – of the mayors of Lviv or Kyiv, gave great prominence to the situation in Ukraine, and Rui Moreira defended the existence of a "Marshall Plan", under the hat of the OECD, as a way of transmitting transparency to the process and rigour in the use of public money.

Dozens of mayors also addressed issues related to the problem of carbon neutrality, inflationary pressure in cities and how this changes the work of municipalities, in addition to the need for decentralization and how it has been implemented by various governments.

The Champion Mayors Initiative for Inclusive Growth emerged in 2016" as a response to the growing gap between rich and poor", in order to join synergies between mayors, committed to combating inequalities and promoting more inclusive economic growth in cities.

This is just one of several initiatives that, by Tuesday, complete the program of Bloomberg CityLab 2022, the global event that brings together the mayor, prominent city innovators, business leaders, urban experts, artists and activists to discuss and discover replicable solutions to pressing issues such as pandemic recovery, refugee reception or combating climate change.