6th Global Forum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Group picture of the participants
at the 6th Global Forum

From 18 to 20 March 2010 Peter Götz chaired the 6th Global Forum of the Global Parliamentarians on Habitat. Host of the forum was Jorge Felippe, president of the Camara of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who personally welcomed the over 100 parliamentarians from over 25 countries in the opening celebration.

The theme of the forum, "Sustainable Urban Development", was discussed in three working groups focusing on Climate Change, City for All and Urban-Rural Connections.

The results of the workshops were debated in plenary and summarized in a "Declaration of Rio". Eliomar Coelho, council member of the Camara of Rio de Janeiro and member of the Board of Directors of the GPH-America, presented the declaration to the United Nations at the World Urban Forum, which took place a few days later. The Parliamentarians will carry the message of the Declaration into their national parliaments and implement it.

Peter Götz unanimously re-elected

On 20 March 2010 Götz was re-elected unanimously at the Camara of Rio de Janeiro as President of the Board of Directors of the GPH. Götz, who has held this office since April 2008, said: "It is a great pleasure for me that my fellow Parliamentarians from around the world have placed their trust in me once again. The re-election is important to me to develop and deepen the work already begun”.