The Technical Advisor of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) Americas, Belén Jiménez Camacho, participated in the Summer Schools of Viña del Mar 2023, an initiative of the Chilean Municipalities Association (AChM), chaired by the Mayor of Peñalolén, Carolina Leitao, within the framework of the National Strategy of Chile and supported by the European Union in Chile.
The 2023 Summer Schools, “Thinking about the country from the communes,” aims to prepare municipalities to be agents of development in their communities. The five Schools were held from January 17 to 20.
On the morning of January 18, Belén participated in the panel on “Networks and Alliances. Global spaces for learning, visibility, and collaborative work,” with dialogues about the importance of networking among cities and local governments and how networks like the GCoM can bring the voice of territories to the international stage in favor of climate action.
In this regard, Belén stated that the GCoM Americas, funded by the European Union, places territories at the center of climate action. Therefore, local governments committed to the GCoM are agents of change and constitute a globally engaged community aligned with key international agreements on the climate agenda and access to clean energy. Local diplomacy and networking are essential to materialize the action of cities and local governments. This networking has translated, for example, into the formation of the Forum of Mayors of Latin America established last year in Buenos Aires, as well as in the statement of local governments at COP 27.
Municipalities of the GCoM had their own space
In the afternoon, the workshop “The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. Best practices of municipalities adhering to the initiative” took place, providing a dedicated platform to present the initiative and showcase the best practices of Pact member municipalities.
The event featured the participation of the Mayor of Independencia, Gonzalo Durán Baronti, who highlighted the benefits of networking provided by the GCoM and the importance of leveraging regional spaces and networks that amplify the voice of local governments. He also emphasized the technical benefits that the GCoM can bring to municipalities, as the project provides technical support to local governments in developing their climate action plans.
To deepen discussions about technical knowledge and the exchange of best practices, technical advisors from municipalities participated. María Isabel Pérez represented Independencia; Patricio Figueroa represented the municipality of Temuco; and Luis Tejero Encinas joined virtually from the Directorate General of Sustainability and Environmental Control of the City of Madrid (Spain). The moderation was led by Caroll Owen Atala from the municipality of Peñalolén.
Adaptation to climate change and financing at the center of the debate on the last day
On the 20th, the last day of the Summer Schools, the Mayor of Vitacura, Camila Merino Catalán, a GCoM member since 2018, participated in the panel “The challenge of adaptation. Water management.” Vitacura holds the adaptation medal in the GCoM recognition system.
The panel “Financing opportunities and technical support” featured the technical advisor of the GCoM Americas, Belén Jiménez. In this session, the GCoM’s work on technical support opportunities and access to financing for territories was presented, primarily through the “Flagship Cities” initiative, which includes the Chilean cities of Santiago, Independencia, and Peñalolén. Additionally, within the framework of the national strategy in Chile, there are activities related to the formulation of potentially fundable projects for municipalities.
Rodrigo Arias, Coordinator of International Affairs of the Chilean Association of Municipalities (AChM), concluded the Viña del Mar 2023 Summer Schools by inviting continued collaboration within networks like the GCoM Americas. He emphasized that municipalities can advance their climate action through regional collaboration within the municipalist context.
