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Gaetano Manfredi, Mayor of Naples and ANCI President, spoke at the World Meeting on Human Fraternity by offering the perspective of cities—those places where social transformations, inequalities, and new forms of loneliness emerge with particular intensity. Within this context, the shared path between ANCI and the Fratelli tutti Foundation takes shape, born from the conviction that fraternity can become a concrete criterion for understanding the needs of communities and guiding local public policy.

In his Intervention, Manfredi illustrates how this principle can lead to actions capable of   rebuilding social bonds, countering marginalization and isolation, and strengthening social cohesion. Whether considering the integration of young immigrants, the challenges of peripheral neighborhoods, or the solitude experienced by the elderly and those living in remote areas, a single need emerges: transforming cities into more inclusive communities.

Fraternity thus becomes not only an ethical value but also a tool for governance and development—one that can accompany urban regeneration with a deeper form of social regeneration rooted in education, participation, and human relationships.

Excerpt from the speech by Gaetano Manfredi – Mayor of Naples, ANCI President

“As ANCI, we believe we have made an important choice in sharing this journey with the Fratelli tutti Foundation. The theme of fraternity has become an indispensable instrument for governing our communities.”

We are living in a historical moment in which division, conflict, and separation among people are often used as tools of political struggle. Yet they are also the result of deep social fractures that generate increasingly unacceptable inequality, manifesting in different ways.

Manfredi highlights the pressing issue of integrating immigrants—especially second‑generation youth—who at times reject social inclusion and educational pathways as a form of protest. He also points to the severe challenges faced in the large southern peripheries: high school dropout rates, educational deficits, and the resulting difficulty of entering the workforce through active citizenship. Equally urgent is the condition of the elderly and those living in Italy’s internal areas, marked by solitude and a lack of services in a society increasingly polarized demographically.

Different situations, yet united by a single characteristic: loneliness.

For this reason, rebuilding a path of social cohesion within communities is essential. On one hand, it is an ethical issue tied to the founding values of our democracy and Republic—rooted in constitutional principles, particularly the principle of equality. On the other hand, social cohesion is also an economic factor. Economic studies clearly show that more cohesive communities grow more, facilitate access to employment, and achieve higher levels of education.

Conflict, by contrast, generates negative externalities within society. Working on cohesion and shared belonging is therefore not only an ethical imperative but also a powerful driver of development—an indispensable element for the future of the country.

Mayors know this well and experience it daily: we must leverage every factor that helps rebuild bonds and make our societies more cohesive.

When discussing urban regeneration or the revitalization of peripheral areas, we once believed these were primarily material interventions. And indeed, improving the urban environment, housing quality, and infrastructure remains essential. But concrete experience—including numerous PNRR projects—has shown that without accompanying physical regeneration with social regeneration, such interventions fall short. They may be aesthetically pleasing, but they fail in terms of effectiveness.

Without initiatives that foster sociality, education, civic participation, and shared values—especially in an increasingly multiethnic and aging society—any material project is destined to fail. The real challenge is to use the instrument of cohesion and fraternity as a powerful political instrument to strengthen our active policies.