The Mayor of Bogotá, Claudia López, participated in the World Bank's Annual Conference on Development Economics, chaired by the World Bank’s Development Economics Vice Presidency. This year, the topic for discussion was called Global Unrest, based on the impact that COVID-19 has had on a global scale.
Director of Global Indicators Group, Norman Loayza presided over the event. Where the mayor of Bogotá Claudia López, spoke alongside a panel comprised of Carmen Reinhart, Vice President and World Bank Group Chief Economist; Ibrahim Elbadawi, Managing Director of the Economic Research Forum; Neil Ketchley, professor at the University of Oslo; and Andrés Velasco, Dean of the School of Public Policy at the London School of Economics.
“I can say that on behalf of Colombia, Bogotá and Latin America that the pandemic has severely deepened the structural problems that our societies have always faced, and this has been particularly difficult not only on women but also for the youth. In fact, even before the pandemic, they already had the highest levels of unemployment and no access to job opportunities or quality education,” said Mayor López at the event.
In that vein, Mrs. López pointed out that during the last year,“Unfortunately, this structural inequity has worsened due to the pandemic and as a result: citizens, particularly the youth, have taken to the streets demanding change. Which is, of course, something that I fully endorse, I was elected for this very reason by precisely these women and youth, who else but me to understand what they are demanding?”.
In the face of this public outcry for change, the mayor went on to outline the Social Rescue Plan and the change of priorities in the Bogotá's administration. "We are investing 6.8 billion pesos in social investment this year looking for more education, more employment, basic income to prevent hunger and poverty."
She also emphasized the importance of creating new opportunities for the demographics most affected by the pandemic, especially among young people and women. “We went from 20,000 to 50,000 spots for free and quality university education. This is a social rescue, a plan to come to the aid of young people and women with an important public investment. Only like this can we hope to recover our economy and our sources of employment.” Mayor López continued.
By the end of the meet, Mayor López re-iterated that in order to move forward, a short-term rescue plan is necessary, but without forgetting the structural purposes proposed for the city.
“At this very moment our social rescue programme is advancing, and although we have differences and tensions at the local level, I am grateful to Bogota’s several political and social players. They have the will to advance this social rescue contract, because we all understand that it is indispensable," she went on to say.
By participating in this forum, the mayor contributed to the global debate with inclusive and innovative strategies that put the needs of its citizens at the heart of its policy, especially those groups on the fringes. Only like this can we move towards fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals, especially those related to equity and social inclusion.
