The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy was presented as an opportunity for local authorities in the fight against climate change during the National Congress of Municipalities, from February 25 to 28, in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. At the opening ceremony, Patricia Llombart Cussac, European Union Ambassador in Colombia, highlighted the importance of the involvement of Colombian cities in environmental issues. “How can we not talk about sustainable development in Colombia?”, Reflected the ambassador. The impact of the speech was felt in the increased interest in the Covenant by the mayors and mayors present at the occasion.
European Union Ambassador in Colombia, Patricia Llombart Cussac
In addition to the prominence in the official program of the event, services to interested municipalities and the general public were held at the Covenant stand during the event. More than 50 representatives and authorities from local governments have expressed interest in committing themselves to the Covenant and should confirm this commitment in the coming days, which should leverage the capillarity of the initiative and provide a significant increase in climate actions in the country. Until the beginning of the event, the Covenant had fifteen Colombian signatory municipalities to the alliance.
The opening act was attended by William Dau Chamatt, Mayor of Cartagena, Vicente Antonio Blel Scaff, Governor of the Department of Bolívar, Jessica Faieta, UNDP Resident Representative in Colombia, Karen Abudinen Abuchaibe, High Presidential Councilor for the Regions, Alicia Arango Olmos, Minister of the Interior, Jairo Raúl Clopatofsky Ghisays, Counselor for the Participation of People with Disabilities, Oscar Atehortua Duque, Director General of the National Police, Gilberto Toro, Executive Director of the Colombian Federation of Municipalities.
The Global Covenant of Mayors’ booth in the event
About the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy
The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy formally brings together the old “Mayors Pact” and the European Union’s Mayors Pact, the two main initiatives to assist cities and local governments in the transition to a low carbon economy and demonstrate their global impact . Managed by the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, Michael R. Bloomberg, and the Vice President of the European Commission, Maroš Šefčovič, the coalition comprises more than 10,000 cities on 6 continents and 135 countries, representing more than 800 million people, more than 10.7% of the world population. More information about the Global Mayors Covenant at https://diferreirafotografia.com.br/americalatina
The event
The National Congress of Municipalities is the largest space for dialogue between local governments in Colombia, serving for institutional exchanges also with the national government and with other public and private initiatives. The meeting is organized by the Colombian Federation of Municipalities, which acts as National Coordinator of the Covenant in the National Consultative Committee for the country.
About IUC-LAC (Latin America and the Caribbean)
The International Urban Cooperation Program (IUC), funded by the European Union, supports cities in different regions of the globe to connect and share solutions to common problems in sustainable urban development, within the framework of the New Urban Agenda and in the fight against climate change. The Latin America and Caribbean chapter of the IUC Global program is responsible for implementing the Global Compact of Mayors for Climate and Energy in the region (www.iuc-la.eu).
