Bogotá Mayor, Claudia López, held a meeting with the chief of staff of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Jessica Bedoya. The main objective of the meeting was to take stock of the various projects that are being carried out throughout the city thanks to the support of the IDB. The secondary objective is to explore new possibilities to work together down the line.
The IDB has been instrumental in the execution of various projects that benefit the city and its people, most notably in the mobility sector. Projects like the financing of the Carrera Séptima’s Green Corridor; the First Metro Line; and the Alameda del Medio Milenio bike-path are pivotal in creating a more appealing city to live in. Mayor López wasted no time as she began presenting her vision for the city, starting with the expansion of the first metro line.
“We are grateful to the IDB for their continued support." Mayor López went on to say, "The aid that the IDB has offered us has been indispensable in completing the first line of the metro; We have 2.8 km left to go until we get to Calle 100 and have never been closer to fulfilling our end of the deal by connecting the Northern Regio-tram to the rest of the project. But we cannot do it alone."
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To this, Jessica Bedoya spoke on behalf of the IDB, "this is a unique opportunity to carry on the work that the city has begun. Our ties with this city run deep and we would like to play a role in this city’s re-activation by endorsing future projects that touch on education, health, and job creation."
Mayor López then explained to the IDB delegation the great challenges that Bogotá face in terms of the necessary investments that are required to provide a quality education in the 21st century.
“The capitol must set the example by closing down the gaps in the urban-rural educational system," elaborated the mayor. "The education sector is a great example of how the pandemic imposed the need to meet four-year goals in just one. The state has provided 105,000 tablets to students so that their studies would not be interrupted, and this is just one of many things that require time and money, we still need 20,000 tablets to meet our goal."
Faced with the task of finding new obstacles to tackle, the IDB and Bogotá explored the Temporary Statute of Protection for Migrants. This project establishes possible lines of co-operation on migration issues.
Mayor López opened up on this issue, “Bogotá is a pioneer city in registering its migratory flow. But we can't do it alone, we ask for support on behalf of the migrant population. By registering, we can work in your favour, we need your support if we are going to help these migrants land on their feet. They are free, of course, to homologate their degrees and continue educating themselves,”
Gender equality is very high on the agenda, several alternatives to finance the District Care System have been sussed out, The Secretary for Women, Diana Rodríguez specified the support that Bogotá needs.
“The IDB’s knowledge and experience has been instrumental in our work to consolidate support for women through two points. First, we need to gather data that identifies the needs and strategies needed on a city-wide scale. Secondly, but most importantly, we need to arm our women with the tools to improve their quality of life and to play a role in their own outcomes.“ stated Secretary Rodríguez.
In response to these requests, Jessica Bedoya invited the Mayor to the Inter-American Bank headquarters during her next visit to Washington to develop the full scope of these projects. The IDB is resolute in its mission to strengthen through co-operation. “We are willing to design a broad financing framework. Bogotá has a very ambitious agenda regarding education and infrastructure. The IDB is here to help in any way it can,” highlighted Director Bedoya.
This meeting was also attended by José Alejandro Herrera, Nicolás Estupiñán and Edna Bonilla; District Secretaries of Treasury, Mobility and Education respectively.
Also in attendance, the manager of the Metro Company, Leonidas Narváez; and Director of the Mayor’s Office for International Relations, Luz Amparo Medina. On behalf of the IDB, the representative of the Andean region, Tomás Bermúdez; the representative in Colombia, Ignacio Corlazzoli; and the transportation specialist for the IDB in Colombia, Paula Cruz.
The IDB is a development institution that has established itself as the main source of financing and multi-lateral expertise for sustainable economic, social, and institutional development in Latin America and the Caribbean.
