At the third region-to-region meeting, the IUC Latin America and the Caribbean team (IUC-LAC) reflected on its achievements in 2019 and set in motion a series of activities for 2020.
Throughout 2019, IUC-LAC formalised technical cooperation and exchange between 24 European and Latin American cities from five different Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru). They also held five workshops – in Medellín, Lima, Buenos Aires/Rosario, Brasília and Santiago – to train technical professionals working in IUC-LAC cities. In these events, cities shared good practices and had contact with a network of representatives from the European Union, including mayors, technical professionals and representatives of the private sector and local municipalities.
The main achievements of IUC-LAC regions and cities included executing pilot projects, and specifying action plans that allow them to face the impacts of climate change. City representatives presented their successes in Brussels during a regional workshop last November.
The year 2019 was also productive in the production of knowledge and support materials for professional training and institutional strengthening. A good example was the IUC-LAC book of good practices, which brought together the best practices of Latin American cities in sustainable urban development. The material is available in both Portuguese and Spanish. The format brings together the best actions on issues such as clean energy, sustainable transport, water, waste and environmental management, smart cities, green industries, sustainable construction, green finance, circular economy or low-carbon urban planning.
The IUC-LAC program also successfully promoted the strengthening of the capacities of the signatory cities of the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM). Three international events were conducted for GCoM signatory cities, in Corrientes (Argentina), Cartagena (Colombia) and Port of Spain (Trinidad & Tobago), in addition to training workshops based on GCoM’s work strategies across LAC countries. The events had significant assistance from local authorities and other key regional actors.
Of particular note was the launch, in Trinidad & Tobago, of the Global Covenant of Mayors in the Caribbean, which was attended by leaders of 10 Caribbean cities. The event included recognising eight cities that presented their climate action plans. Thanks to the work of the IUC-LAC program, in 2019 the number of GCoM signatories in Latin America reached 400 cities.
In addition to the workshops, and with the aim of reaching all regional signatories, a GCoM webinar series was launched in 2019. More than 50 experts from 20 partner organisations and 19 municipal representatives were involved, sharing successful practices and training local governments on specific issues, such as the development of greenhouse gas emissions inventories, governance, climate mitigation measures, climate risk assessment, financing climate action, and more. In total, 20 live sessions were conducted online in Portuguese and Spanish; these are still available to access.
The year also featured a significant change in the representation of Latin America in front of the Board of Directors of the Global Covenant of Mayors. The Mayor of Lima, Jorge Muñoz, became the representative for Latin American cities and thereby the voice of more than 400 signatory cities. “It is an honour for me to join the Board of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. I am very excited to be part of this alliance that brings together the voices of around 10,000 cities and, at the same time, develops strategic collaborations with different sectors to accelerate the actions that cities take to achieve a future with less polluting emissions,” he said.
To expand the visibility of the IUC-LAC Program, a monthly newsletter was launched, which provides information on exchanges and workshops, features key IUC-LAC voices, previews activities to come, and shares recommendations for relevant readings, podcasts, projects and documentation.
Important Changes in IUC-LAC in 2020
The expectations of the IUC-LAC programme for 2020 are high. It will continue to support cities and regions in their cooperation, and continue training and strengthening GCoM cities through regional workshops and virtual formats. The programme also aims to expand the number of regional GCoM signatories, and support the implementation of national strategies against the impacts of climate change.
This year, developing and consolidating cooperation between cities and regions (with seven new cooperation initiatives between cities already planned) will be extremely important. This will allow for the consolidation of action plans in order to strengthen the capacity of local governments to face future changes. In 2020, the partnerships between the cities of Córdoba (Argentina) and Zagreb (Croatia), Barranquilla and Soledad (Colombia) and Velletri and Roma (Italy), Cartagena (Colombia) and Málaga (Spain), Sao Paulo (Brazil) and Milan (Italy), Quilicura (Chile) and Glasgow (UK) will start.
A new direction
In 2020, IUC-LAC welcomes a new leader, Claudio Acioly, who is an architect and urban planner with more than 35 years of experience working in over 30 countries. He has worked as a resident expert or technical consultant for programme and policy management for governments, bilateral and multilateral organisations. Acioly was the senior manager of UN-Habitat from 2008-2019, during which time he directed the Housing Policy and Slum Improvement, Capacity Development, and the United Nations for the Right to Housing programmes. In addition, he coordinated the Advisory Group on Forced Evictions to the Executive Director of UN-Habitat. He directed several programs in Cuba, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Mexico and in countries of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. His international experience will be an asset to IUC-LAC.
Acioly has expressed, “In a region with an unstoppable urbanisation pace such as Latin America and the Caribbean, and that suffers the effects of climate change in such an important way, we must work with governments so that they can implement ambitious action plans for sustainability and adaptation of its territories, guaranteeing the dignified life for its citizens.”
The ABM assumes the coordination of programme support
Another important change in the programme is that the support team for cities participating in the IUC-LAC programme, known as the Help Desk, is now part of the Brazilian Association of Municipalities (ABM).
Founded in 1946 in Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian Association of Municipalities is a national civil society entity that works together with municipalities, partner institutions and governments to improve their capacities. The President of the ABM and Mayor of São Leopoldo, Ary Vanazzi, said, "For ABM, this proximity to the IUC-LAC programme is very important because the sustainable development and global warming agenda is central to the cities of Latin America."
The structure of the Help Desk consists of a knowledge platform and a physical secretariat, and offers training for the cities participating in the programme.
In light of these changes, the IUC-LAC programme begins its last year of activities strongly, with the expectation of success and of leaving an important legacy for the region with respect to the fight against climate change, and the construction of more sustainable and innovative cities.
Header image by IUC LAC.