Mayor of Bogotá, Claudia López and her retinue travelled to Madrid to join her fellow mayors at the Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities (UCCI). The event was held at el Palacio de la Zarzuela where King Felipe VI of Spain himself played the host.
The Spanish monarch urged his audience to continue exercising decisive leadership in the face of the adversity that the pandemic has wrought. Mayor Lopez discusses her time with the Spanish Crown: “The King welcomed each mayor of the UCCI, he let us know that he understands the challenges that we have faced. He appreciates such proximity and practicality that we have to embrace on a daily basis, to raise the level of awareness of our citizens on environmental issues, care for life, health and democracy."
King Felipe VI imparted one more gem of wisdom as he brought the evening to a close, stating that it is incumbent upon each mayor to preserve democracy at all costs. Only by avoiding populism can we prevent the social and economic crisis that comes with a pandemic of this magnitude.
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His Majesty, the King reminded everyone to be wary of the emergence of nationalism, fascism and the spread of communism that has radicalized the planet. That is why the king has urged Spain to spearhead the work with the cities, using the UCCI as a mechanism to advance economic equity and environmental protection.
“Each mayor has been working tirelessly in search of new ways to strengthen the ties of direct co-operation”, stated the Mayor López. “We prefer to learn from those who are leading by example, to learn how we take care of our women. Our Calma Line, for example, has generated a great deal of interest on behalf of several cities in Greece, Bolivia, and Brazil.”
Mayor López went on to speak about Bogotá's process of modernizing its public transport system. Take Madrid for instance, a major city that has had a metropolitan transport authority that has integrated all modes of transport over four decades.
"Through Spain and the UCCI”, insisted the mayor, “we are going to utilize mechanisms for technical and financial co-operation, between cities directly, but with the support of national resources and eventually the European Union,"
Among the common ground that Bogotá and Spain share is the implementation of sustainable mobility. Both are concerning themselves with the planning and implementation of a clean and efficient mobility system for a city the size of Bogotá. Any insight that Spain could offer is of great value, especially in terms of mobility governance and the dynamics of local public transport operators.
Likewise, the Cultural Center of Spain in Bogotá -- of which the technical studies for its construction and adaptation have already begun -- sees the District Care System and the gender approach, as a long-ranging strategy of the city of which its progress has already been made apparent by virtue of this international tour. Attention must be paid to mixed migratory flows, we must seek to consolidate a scheme of economic and social integration and humanitarian aid. We have to reach out and work hand-in-hand with host communities to extend the reach of medicine to each corner of the city that needs it most.
Work meetings in Madrid
Prior to her meeting with King Felipe VI, Bogota Mayor Claudia Lopez met with Secretary General of International Relations of Sao Paulo, Marta Suplicy. With whom she held a dialogue on the topics of gender commitment and social policy of the district, and how to promote Latin American cities caregivers.
Bogotá and Sao Paolo have enjoyed a fruitful exchange of ideas concerning vaccination campaigns against COVID19. Not to mention, the signing of an inter-institutional co-operation agreement for the export and/or import of biological collections/samples with the SPFR Herbarium of the University of Sao Paulo and the Botanical Garden of Bogotá.
Within the framework of the UCCI and alongside the World Tourism Organization, both cities are working together with Lima, Mexico City and Quito in the search of an Ibero-American Tourism Strategy.
The mayor held meetings throughout the week with Jorge Muñoz Wells, mayor of Lima, with the aim of re-affirming and strengthening bi-lateral relations between both cities. He also met with Antón Leis, general director of AECID (Spanish Agency for International Development Co-operation), as well as with Juan Fernández Trigo, Secretary of State for Ibero-America. The purpose of the meeting is to re-activate the aforementioned project of the Cultural Center of Spain in Bogotá, as well as explore areas of collaboration around migration, peace, the gender approach and humanitarian action.
