Mayor Claudia López began her international agenda in the city of Katowice, Poland, this Saturday with a bilateral meeting with the executive director of UN-Habitat, Maimunah Mohd-Sharif. In this meeting, they discussed central issues in the implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) in Bogotá, speaking about gender and care policies, education and youth, green land use planning, and sustainable mobility.
Throughout the conversation, the Mayor explained the role of public policies focused on care as a central axis in the implementation of the NUA and the relevance of establishing practical strategies such as the Bogotá District Care System, which are aimed at guaranteeing women’s rights and equality, likewise, to ensure the well-being of democracies.
“It’s not only about care for people and care for the planet - which has been the central focus of our message until now - but care for democracy must also be the basis of public policies. The latter has to be of equal importance and I think it is quite relevant, especially in the current global context”, said the Mayor.
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In this tweet, Mayor Claudia López, refers to her participation in the forum:
Agradecida con la invitación de @MaimunahSharif en #WUF11 de ser Embajadora global ad hoc de la nueva agenda urbana de @onuhabitat en reconocimiento a los logros del sistema de género y cuidado, educación y juventud, planeacion territorial verde, y movilidad sostenible de @Bogotahttps://t.co/sfftYC1Hew
— Claudia López Hernández (@ClaudiaLopez) June 25, 2022
For her part, the director of UN-Habitat highlighted the importance of implementing changes that start from local governments and have an impact at the national level. She also thanked Bogotá for its efforts in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are reflected in actions such as the Voluntary Local Report that is being prepared. As a result of these outcomes, she asked Mayor López to be the new UN-Habitat ambassador for the implementation of the NUA.
“We extend this invitation to you to be our main messenger and an agent of change. May your voice be a relevant one that speaks about who we are and what we are working for”, detailed the director. Mohd-Sharif also specified that UN-Habitat is developing a special certification process for cities that are complying with the SDGs and the plan is for Bogotá to be the first city in the region to receive this recognition.
"Our dreams are big, but I hope that together we can make them come true, that's why I would like Bogotá to officially take on this challenge as an SDG City," she added at the end of the meeting. Bogotá as a global example
The first day of the Mayor's international agenda, within the framework of the World Urban Forum - WUF11, continued with her participation in a discussion dedicated to the role of social infrastructure in cities, convened by the Annual Global Parliament of Mayors (GPM).
The World Parliament of Mayors is a governing body made up of mayors from all continents, to amplify the experience, knowledge, and leadership of mayors to face local challenges derived from global problems.
During her speech, Mayor Claudia López highlighted Bogotá's experience in developing public care policies aimed mainly at children, women, and youth, appearing before spokespeople and representatives from countries such as South Africa, Indonesia, Liberia, Poland, and Portugal.
“Social infrastructure is not only important for the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals or for the New Urban Agenda. It is crucial for the care of women and for a relevant education for the 21st century, in particular for the generation of young people of our time”, explained the Mayor.
She also shared local knowledge, Bogotá’s evolution, and the efforts made to give importance to policies for the care of people, the planet, and democracy at national and global levels. "During the last 30 years, Bogotá has been building quality social infrastructure, and that is crucial not only for the well-being of our citizens, but also for the productivity of our national economy and the progress of our city”, the Mayor concluded.
