Framework Declaration Of Principles and Call for Action
First Global Hip-Hop Summit
Barcelona, 16 September 2004

WE, the participants at the First Global Hip-Hop Summit held within the Second World Urban Forum in Barcelona, Spain 2004,

COGNIZANT of the work done by the hip-hop artists, the hip-hop community and the urban youth around the world,

REALIZING the need to render support and enhance the achievement already made by the hip-hop groups and urban youth in their respective countries and communities,

ACCEPTING the sentiments and aspirations expressed by the hip-hop community and urban youth to remain independent,

HEREBY declare our community to give support and provide a platform(s) where the message and the work done by the hip-hop community and urban youth can continue to thrive and be an enabling tool help address and resolve the problems facing urban youth living in slums and inner cities

THEREFORE we take this opportunity to launch a global appeal and call for action to empower urban youth living in slums and inner cities.

WE DECLARE our commitment to working in partnership with identified stakeholders in support of the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.

FURTHERMORE we extend our support of the UN-HABITAT Governing Council resolution 19/13 towards the establishment of a Global Partnership Initiative on Urban Youth Development.

Recognizing Urban Youth problems

We note with great concern that more than 1 billion people live in slums and inner cities of which more than half are under the age of 25. If present trends continue, the number of slum dwellers could rise above 2 billion by 2030. The urbanisation of poverty and social exclusion is one of the most alarming trends of the 21st century. It is estimated that 72 percent of the urban population in Africa, 37 percent in Asia and 26 percent in South America live without adequate shelter, clean water or sanitation. While these figures average about 6 percent in developed countries, inner cities are witnessing persistent levels of unemployment that are way above the national average. In both cases some of the consequences include crime, violence, urban decay, pollution, loss of economic opportunity and productivity.

We acknowledge the commitments made by the world’s leaders in the Millennium Declaration and related goals and targets, inter alia, reducing abject poverty and the prevalence of HIV/AIDS by half by 2015, promoting universal access to health and education, empowering women, and improving the living conditions of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020. However, we further note with greater concern that the primary people affected by these goals and targets are ignorant of the Millennium Declaration and also of the commitments made. This is a situation that can only hamper effective action and the attainment of the said goals and targets.

We also support the call for abolition of child labor and child soldiers.

We recognize that UN-HABITAT, as the lead UN agency for housing and urban development, plays a strategic role in advocating for more sustainable urban development. UN-HABITAT fulfils a pivotal role in the attainment of these development goals and targets as decent and secure shelter, access to clean water and sanitation are pre-requisites for successful efforts in health care, education and local economic development.

We further recognise that the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN), as the lead coalition of socially responsible Hip-Hop artists and recording industry executives, committed to social justice and the eradication of poverty, has potential to raise awareness, thus empowering urban youth worldwide. This contribution is all relevant and effective as it is a shared form of expression and the voice of disenfranchised urban youth worldwide and represents a social movement that is both a product and a reaction to globalisation and the urbanisation of poverty and social exclusion.

COMMITMENTS AND PRINCIPLES

We commit ourselves as youth groups, Hip-Hop artists, Hip-Hop communities and executives of the recording industry to the implementation of the “MESSENGERS OF TRUTH PROJECT” which aims, to inform 300 million urban youth of the commitments made in the Millennium Declaration, by 2007 and to help raise US$ 5 million in seed funding to help empower urban youth to play an active role in improving living conditions in their respective communities.

CALL FOR ACTION

We call upon the international community, the music and recording industry, the youth organization, the local government and all others Habitat Agenda partners to support our actions to be guided by the following principles:

Scope and objectives of the “Messengers of Truth Project”

To strengthen the youth component in ongoing slum improvement and inner city community development projects with a high demonstration value to serve as examples of good practice and promising options for more enabling policies and legislation. The following supports are envisaged:

(i) Awareness and fund raising through meetings, summits, special events such as concerts, youth festivals, workshops, albums, merchandising, the use of the media, advertising, other art forms, exhibitions and public relations;
(ii) Skills training, which can provide immediate employment potential and be applied to ongoing slum improvement and inner city rehabilitation projects, such as the construction related sectors and the vocational training;
(iii) IT resources, equipment and facilities, such as computers and internet connectivity, to help poor urban youth groups to bridge the digital divide and to engage in networking and the exchange of experience;
(iv) Facilitating and promoting dialogue between youth groups, and public authorities, especially at the local level, to give youth an effective voice on decisions affecting their livelihoods;
(v) Information dissemination and accessibility to mainstream lessons learned from experience;
(vi) Launching greater awareness campaign in all corners of the world including developing and developed countries as well as countries in transition.

Criteria for selecting projects for support

(i) Assist, on a priority basis, on-going community-based development projects that comply with one or more of the strategic objectives of the Habitat Agenda, namely partnerships, participation, capacity building, gender equality and use of information in decision making;
(ii) Match ad hoc support in-kind and in-cash contributions from governments, local authorities, non-governmental and faith-based organisations and the private sectors;
(iii) Ensure proper documentation, analysis and dissemination of lessons learned from the initiative.
(iv) Etc…