TITLE
Recommendation to request City Manager to work with City Attorney to draft a resolution of support for Long Beach to join the Cities for All Global Compact.
DISCUSSION
Long Beach has long been a city for all and continues to find new ways to elevate the quality of life for all residents. In this spirit, World Enabled reached out to the First District to champion a further commitment to providing equitable access to our city for those with disabilities and unique challenges through their Cities for All Global Compact.
World Enabled is led by Dr. Victor Santiago Pineda, a leader in international disability rights, who was appointed to the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board by President Barack Obama. Under Dr. Pineda's leadership, World Enabled supports companies, governments, and educational institutions with the full implementation of legal mandates for inclusion and diversity. Their work and research initiatives further innovative approaches to inclusive urban development.
Part of World Enabled's impact is gathering partners around the globe to be engaged and proactive when planning their cities. Long Beach has been a leader in the many facets of equity and now has an opportunity to enhance our work by supporting a commitment to access and inclusivity already being championed by cities like New York City, Sao Paulo, Chicago, Curitiba, Brazil, and Laayoune, Morocco.
This exciting initiative is a further step in both the mission of World Enabled and Long Beach to make access more equitable by committing to not just do what is legally required for compliance but strive to work beyond these minimum requirements. This is not a legal change to laws, ordinances or zoning, but rather a promise to do all we can as a City to promote access for all utilizing cutting-edge techniques and information to achieve the goal of universal access and inclusion.
The Cities for All Global Compact's Language is as follows:
We, the Signatories commit to following Principles:
01 Non-discrimination
Give particular attention to Leave No One Behind and actively address and condemn all forms of discrimination and barriers faced by persons in vulnerable situations, particularly persons with disabilities and older persons, by progressively implementing principles of Accessibility, Universal Design and the World Health Organization's Age Friendly Cities initiative transversally through all urban development strategies.
02 Accessibility
Enable all persons to live independently and take appropriate measures in cities and human settlements that facilitate access, elimination of barriers and full participation of persons with disabilities and older persons, on an equal basis with others, to all aspects of the physical and digital environment in cities which includes Buildings, roads, transportation and other indoor and outdoor facilities, including schools, housing, medical facilities and workplaces; and Information, communications and other services, including electronic services and emergency services.
03 Participation
Promote the full and effective participation of all persons, particularly persons with disabilities and older persons, in cities and urban planning strategies that engage stakeholders at all stages of development including local authorities, community members, planners and developers; and to the elimination of institutional, legal, physical, and digital barriers.
04 Inclusive Urban Policies & Programs
Actively and progressively Promote, Adopt and Comply with international, regional and national accessibility regulations and legal requirements- including the ISO 21542:2011 Building construction - Accessibility and usability of the built environment, International Organization on Standardization's 71:2014 Guide on Accessibility, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, the ETSI EN 301549, and Section 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act - through strengthening of strong inclusive management frameworks and accountable institutions in urban governance, focused on community based planning.
05 Capacity Building
Promote, Develop and Deploy capacity development initiatives that empower, recognize, respect and strengthen skills and abilities of all persons and civil society organizations-without discrimination of any kind- particularly of organizations of persons with disabilities and older persons, in shaping inclusive governance processes, engaging in dialogue, and actively promoting equity and protecting human rights in urban and territorial development decision-making.
06 Data for Development
Actively support the role and enhanced capacity of national, subnational, and local governments and relevant stakeholders, in developing, generating and disseminating reliable and timely disaggregated data by sex, age, disability, income, migration status, geographic location, and other characteristics relevant in national context through basic land inventory information, valuation and risk maps, and the Washington Group Short Set of Questions; to systemically understand and address barriers to inclusion and accessibility in cities faced by all persons, particularly persons with disabilities and older persons.
We, the signatories of the Global Compact on Inclusive and Accessible Cities, commit ourselves to reporting, on a regular basis, about steps taken and progress made in making cities and human settlements more inclusive and accessible for all people. We will do so by using existing accountability and reporting mechanisms such as foreseen in Article 34 of the UN CRPD as well as through the High-Level Political Forum as the follow-up mechanism to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Due to timing constraints this item was not reviewed by Financial Management.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
July is the month that we celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act and a perfect time to uplift the disability community, recommit to inclusivity, and continue the working towards our equity goals.
FISCAL IMPACT
No Financial Management review was able to be conducted due to the urgency and time sensitivity of this item. However, this request does not represent a significant use of staff time and resources beyond the normal scope of work.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
MARY ZENDEJAS
COUNCILWOMAN, FIRST DISTRICT
SUZIE PRICE
COUNCILWOMAN, THIRD DISTRICT
ROBERTO URANGA
COUNCILMAN, SEVENTH DISTRICT
AL AUSTIN
COUNCILMAN, EIGHTH DISTRICT