The Network of Sustainable Cities and Mayors for Democracy was consolidated in December 2020, with the Regional Center for Green Growth and Climate Change, seeking to strengthen political and environmental dialogue between the mayors of Latin America through spaces for exchanging experiences, training and dissemination. of actions within the framework of democratic values and green growth.
After the creation of the Network, various virtual exchanges were carried out with the active participation of various mayors of Latin American cities. This trajectory led the Network to have its first in-person meetings in 2022 in Mérida and Buenos Aires, and later in 2023 in Coyhaique. This trajectory led the Network to have an anniversary meeting where we hosted the City Council of Puebla (Mexico) thanks to the invitation of Municipal President Eduardo Rivera. This meeting managed to strengthen ties of trust and collaboration between mayors of Latin American cities that share similar challenges.
On this occasion, we have the in-person participation of Municipalities from Chile (La Granja, Peñalolén, Punta Arenas and San Javier), from Mexico (Mérida, Puebla, Ticul), from Colombia (Támesis and Venice), from Argentina (Luján de Cuyo ), from Costa Rica (Belén) and from Peru (Barranco and Ollantaytambo). During the three days of the meeting, different activities were developed where the participants exchanged their experiences and knowledge for the consolidation of sustainable cities in their localities, as well as learning about what is being worked on in Puebla to be a city that values its cultural heritage at the same time it is forged as a city that protects its environment.
The first day saw the opening of the event where we had an initial presentation of Puebla's work in relation to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The second day was focused on strengthening the topics of interest of the member municipalities of the Network through panels where the same representatives presented their experiences. The day began with the theme of Cultural Heritage and Environment, with the presentation of Berenice Vidal, Manager of the Historical Center of Puebla, Mexico, as well as presentations of the experiences of Barranco (Peru), Coyhaique (Chile) and Merida (Mexico).
The theme “Environmental Education: Role of the Municipality and successful experiences” continued, where the mayors of the Municipalities of Punta Arenas (Chile), Ticúl (Mexico) and San Javier (Chile) told their experiences. In the afternoon, a tour was taken of the Old City of Puebla, where a little more about the history and development of the City was learned from the city council itself.
On the third day, a session focused on water management at the municipal level was held, which began with a presentation by Pabel Cervantes, from the Tecnológico de Monterrey, which was complemented by interventions by the mayors Belén (Costa Rica) and Luján from Cuyo (Argentina). Subsequently, a session was held to learn about the perspectives of the network members for the year 2024 where we received all their ideas and contributions to strengthen the network and its members.
Finally, to close the day, Chapulco Park was known, a successful urban intervention in the city of Puebla where citizens use public space in harmony with the environment. Likewise, the case of Valsequillo was known and an agave production area was known. as a relevant productive activity in the area.
The participants agreed that meetings like this are necessary to consolidate the sustainability work of their municipalities and reinforce their personal and political commitment to green growth.
At EKLA we are convinced of the potential of the Network of Sustainable Cities and Mayors for Democracy to lead the implementation of positive sustainability actions and contribute to our objective of promoting more decision-making processes in climate change and energy security.