Pledge 44a – Amsterdam

That same year, in September, six European cities, at the initiative of Amsterdam, signed a joint pledge to equal opportunities, reaffirming their commitment to the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR). Helsinki, Gijón, Utrecht, Frankfurt, Ghent and Amsterdam joined efforts to ensure equal opportunities (principle 3 of EPSR), because they believe that, especially in these unprecedented times of the pandemic crisis, every person has the right to equal treatment. To achieve this, the cities are committed to take bold actions.

Amsterdam is committed to fight inequalities through an integrated approach by addressing ‘unequal investment’ through:

• a six-week summer programme for thousands of children and youth from vulnerable families to participate in educational, cultural and sport activities.
• the Amsterdam Healthy Weight Programme, seeking to create healthy lives and environments for children and achieve a healthy generation by 2033.
• The city invests in social housing, which amounts to 40% of the total, followed by 40% being middle rent housing and only 20% high priced housing.

Amsterdam’s deputy mayor, Rutger Groot Wassink stated, “With this joint city pledge, we are proving our commitment to the European Pillar of Social Rights with real actions on the ground. We are convinced that together we can become stronger after the crisis while fostering solidarity among each other with all levels of government and relevant stakeholders.”