On 30 November, 2008, during its World Council held in Istanbul, United Cities and

Local Governments (UCLG) approved a policy paper entitled “Let’s build the inclusive cities of the 21st-century”.

This document, previously drawn up by UCLG’s Social Inclusion and Participative

Democracy Commission, is a manifesto in favour of social inclusion policies, considered as a safeguard of citizens’ rights, necessary to achieve a vibrant and

effective local democracy, respectful toward the growing diversity of urban societies.

Ultimately, the manifesto depicts a global social policy, both pertinent and necessary

in the context of globalized cities.

In order to delve further into the theoretical knowledge which underlies the relationship between social inclusion and participatory democracy, the UCLG’s Social Inclusion and Participative Democracy Commission called upon the Autonomous University of Barcelona’s Institute of Government and Public Policy to research

the subject. The project counted on the financial support of the Department of

Citizen Participation of the Regional Government of Catalonia.

This document is the result of the commissioned research. We hope that its contents will be intellectually stimulating and help to open new paths, both in research and in implementing social inclusion and citizen participation policies.