Mayor Claudia Lopez of Bogota participated in the opening session of the Global Mayors Forum in Guangzhou, China. Her presentation focused on social and productive inclusion, political representation for youth and women, harnessing the scientific knowledge and technological revolution to advance the transition to clean energy, and retraining for new social, technological, and economic skills.
The mayor, who also serves as the president of the Global Network of Major Cities and Metropolitan Areas (Metropolis), emphasized the role of local governments in developing green and inclusive economies: "Finding solutions for social inclusion, productive inclusion, and political representation for the youth and women in our cities, ensuring they have the education, tools, and dignified jobs in the green, digital, technological economy of the 21st century, is perhaps the most important purpose we must cooperate on," stated the mayor.
During her speech, she underscored the importance of city-to-city cooperation in enhancing the technical capacities of local governments to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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"Making peace viable, achieving sustainable development in the era of the climate emergency, and ensuring fair development in a time of profound inequalities and inequities is the work of mayors and subnational governors around the world. Guangzhou celebrates, documents, and shares these experiences of innovation and results that we have in our cities. We cooperate from genuine experience and continuous learning in our cities," emphasized the mayor.
The Global Mayors Forum was founded by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFCC) and the municipal government of Guangzhou in 2018. It is co-organized by the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and the Metropolis network. This global discussion platform seeks to promote knowledge exchange among cities on urban governance innovation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda.
Among the key points in her speech, Mayor López reiterated the need to facilitate local action financing through multilateral banking. "And I would like to conclude with a call that mayors from around the world are making to all national governments and development banks on all continents: the solutions are in the cities, but the financing resources for development, educational and labor retraining, and energy transition are with national governments and development banks."
The event featured a main forum on the theme "High-Quality Growth with Urban Innovation and City Cooperation" and seven subforums related to the strategic development of urban clusters, urban openness, artificial intelligence, digital economy and green cities, cultural and historical urban heritage, new urban planning philosophies, and the construction of urban social safety networks and community governance.
Other activities in Guangzhou:
Prior to her speech, the mayor received the International Urban Innovation Award on behalf of the city. This recognition was given for the implementation of the Care Blocks, a pioneering model in Latin America.
During her visit to China, Mayor López toured several social infrastructures in Guangzhou, such as the Women's Federation and the Nanyue domestic care services, which provide services similar to those offered by Bogotá's Care Blocks, with a focus on community development, sustainable growth, and support for vulnerable groups. During this encounter, achievements and challenges of these initiatives were shared to strengthen them and deliver more benefits to citizens.
She also participated in an academic session coordinated by the Guangzhou municipal government, where she shared details of the Bogotás Care System's operation and its management approach centered on care for people, democracy, and the planet.
Finally, she held a meeting with Kang Gi-jung, the mayor of the Metropolitan Area of Gwangju, Republic of Korea, to exchange experiences in the development of public policies for cycling and pedestrian transportation.
