Translate by Andrés Martínez Forero
Bogotá, My City, My Home, tackling climate change and promoting environmental sustainability are priorities. Bogotá has taken another step toward preparing for the effects of climate change by signing a €70 million loan agreement under the Urban Climate Resilience Program. The financing is provided by the German government through its development bank, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), and is accompanied by up to €3 million in additional grant funding.
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The financing will help the city better prepare for dry spells and high temperatures, as well as increasingly intense rainfall. The investments will support better-protected ecosystems, more trees and shade, improved parks and public spaces, and new tools to manage stormwater during extreme rainfall.
The initiative is part of the German government's financial cooperation with Colombia and is implemented through Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW). It also aims to generate lessons and insights that could benefit other cities across Colombia and Latin America.
“This operation marks a milestone for Bogotá and reflects not only the city's financial capacity but also confidence in our vision for the future. This is a results-based loan: borrowing gives us access to funding, but it also commits us to delivering tangible results for residents,” said Ana María Cadena, Bogotá's Secretary of Finance.
The €70 million loan is tied to the achievement of 11 results aligned with the City Development Plan, Bogotá Camina Segura. These include the ecological restoration of 1,300 hectares, the conservation of protected areas and ecological corridors, and the development of public spaces designed to support climate change adaptation.
The initiative will also strengthen the city's green infrastructure through tree planting and maintenance, garden conservation, and the development of urban forests, helping provide more shade and improve environmental conditions in neighborhoods across Bogotá.
“This initiative focuses on where the effects of climate change are most tangible: people's lives and cities' ability to become more resilient. Germany reaffirms its commitment to climate action and environmental protection through cooperation that provides not only financing, but also knowledge and technical capabilities,” said Simón Herchen, Germany's Deputy Ambassador to Colombia.
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The German government's cooperation package also includes up to €3 million in non-repayable funding, at no cost to Bogotá's budget, to support studies, technology, information systems, and technical capacity. Among other activities, these resources will help improve how the city measures its resilience, modernize its urban tree inventory, and develop studies and designs for Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) in 21 priority areas.
The initiative brings together the Institute for Risk Management and Climate Change (IDIGER), the Planning Secretariat (SDP), the Environment Secretariat (SDA), the Habitat Secretariat (SDHT), and the José Celestino Mutis Bogotá Botanical Garden (JBB). The initiative is coordinated by the Bogotá City Government through Bogotá's International Relations Office.
“This operation represents a shared commitment to addressing one of the most urgent challenges of our time. It is a pioneering project with Bogotá, built around measurable results and shared responsibility. The experience we develop here has the potential to serve as a model for other Latin American cities seeking to strengthen their climate resilience,” said Brigitte Réthier, KfW representative.
With this agreement, Bogotá is strengthening a results-driven approach to international cooperation, turning funding and expertise into practical solutions that enhance the city's ability to respond to the effects of climate change.
*This article was created using information provided by the Bogotá’s International Relations Office and curated by a journalist from Portal Bogotá. For suggestions, questions, or more information, visit Bogotá Te Escucha: https://bogota.gov.co/sdqs/
