PROFILE
Claudia Nayibe López Hernández, born on March 9, 1970 in Bogotá, Colombia. She began her studies with a degree in biology at the Universidad Distrital de Bogotá, as a student, she joined the student movement ‘the Seventh Ballot,’ which ultimately gave rise to the 1991 National Constituent Assembly, and consequently the 1991 Constitution which is still in force today. This caused a shift towards the political sphere and change her professional career.
EDUCATION
She studied Finance, Government and International Relations at the Externado de Colombia University and received a diploma in Urban Land Management from Erasmus University of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. López also studied in the United States at Columbia University in New York where she was awarded a master's degree in Public Administration and Urban Policy and a PhD in Political Science from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
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POLITICAL CAREER
Since joining the realm of politics, she has found herself well-placed in the role of leader. As head of the Community Action department, mayor of the Locality of Santa Fe in Bogotá, advisor to the Ministry of Housing and consultant to UNDP.
From 2014-2018, López was Senator on behalf of the Alianza Verde Party. From there, she endorsed several important movements, not least of which; the Bicycle Law, she ensured the fair premium for domestic employees, she helped provide a guarantee of resources for "From Zero to Always," an early childhood policy by the state, and facilitated GDEs for many students without having to enlist in the military first. In addition, she was recognized as the best senator throughout these periods.
López went on to spearhead the Anti-corruption Consultation, the most voted citizen initiative in the history of Colombia whose purpose is to make transparency and legitimacy an integral part of all public administration.
In 2017 she was candidate of the Alianza Verde Party for the presidential elections and in March 2018 she became Sergio Fajardo’s vice-presidential candidate on behalf of the Colombia Coalition for the presidential elections.
TOWN HALL
On October 27, 2019, López won the elections for Mayor of Bogota and became the first woman to win this position in the Colombian capital. As of January 1, 2020, Mayor López tables The Development Plan which bears the name of New Social and Environmental Contract for the Bogotá of the XXI Century, it is composed of 5 pillars as follows:
- Objective 1: Make a new social contract with equal opportunities for social, productive and political inclusion.
- Objective 2: Change citizen habits to make Bogotá greener and mitigate the climate crisis.
- Objective 3: Inspire trust and legitimacy, to live without fear and to be the epicenter of civic culture, peace and reconciliation.
- Objective 4: To make the Bogotá Region a model of multi-lateral and sustainable mobility.
- Objective 5: Build Bogotá Region with open, transparent government and conscious citizenship.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
In 2020, French magazine Conflits defined her as "The new face of Colombia" in its November 15th issue.
On November 23rd, 2020, she made the short-list of the 100 most influential women in the world according to BBC World.
On November 24th, 2020, The Economist hailed her as the person of 2021 for, “Finding new learning opportunities, in the adversity of the health crisis.”
Vice-President in 2020-2022 and President from 2022 to 2024 of the Ibero-American Center for Urban Strategic Development (CIDEU)
On January 5th, 2021, it was announced that she should be the president of the World Association of Major Metropolises (metropolis®) from June 2022 to December 2023.
On March 26th, 2021, she was nominated as a finalist for the World Mayor award, an award given by the City Mayors Foundation for her exemplary leadership during the pandemic.
From June 2022 to December 2023, she will preside as president of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) network.
