The technical advisor of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) Americas, Belén Jiménez Camacho, participated in the Viña del Mar 2023 Summer Schools, an initiative by the Chilean Association of Municipalities (AChM, in Spanish), presided over by the Mayor of Peñalolén, Carolina Leitao, within the framework of Chile’s National Strategy and supported by the European Union in Chile.
The Summer Schools 2023, themed “Thinking about the Country from the Municipalities,” aimed 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,” which included discussions on the importance of network collaboration between cities and local governments and how networks like GCoM can bring the voices of local territories to the international stage in favor of climate action.
In this context, Belén stated that GCoM Americas, financed by the European Union, places territories at the center of climate action. Therefore, local governments committed to GCoM are agents of change and form a global community committed and aligned with major international climate agreements and access to clean energy. Local diplomacy and network collaboration are fundamental to achieving the actions of cities and local governments. This network collaboration has resulted, for example, in the formation of the Latin American Mayors Forum established last year in Buenos Aires and the local governments’ statement at COP 27.
GCoM Municipalities Had Their Own Space
In the afternoon, the workshop “The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy: Good Practices of Municipalities Adhering to the Initiative” took place. It featured a dedicated panel that presented the initiative and the good practices of member municipalities.
The event included participation from the Mayor of Independencia, Gonzalo Durán Baronti, who highlighted the benefits of network collaboration provided by GCoM and the use of regional spaces and networks that amplify the voice of local governments. He also emphasized the technical benefits that GCoM can bring to municipalities, as the project provides technical support to municipalities to work on their climate action plans.
Technical advisors from municipalities participated to deepen the discussions on technical knowledge and exchanging good practices. María Isabel Pérez represented Independencia; Patricio Figueroa, the commune of Temuco; and Luis Tejero Encinas participated virtually from the General Directorate of Sustainability and Environmental Control of the Madrid City Council (Spain). The session was moderated by Caroll Owen Atala from the municipality of Peñalolén.
Climate Adaptation and Financing at the Center of the Debate on the Final Day
On January 20, the final day of the Summer Schools, the Mayor of Vitacura, Camila Merino Catalán, a GCoM member municipality since 2018, participated in the panel “The Challenge of Adaptation: Water Management.” Vitacura holds the adaptation medal in the GCoM recognition system.
The panel “Opportunities for Financing and Technical Support” featured the participation of GCoM Americas technical advisor Belén Jiménez. This session highlighted GCoM’s work on providing technical support and financing opportunities for territories, primarily through the “Emblematic Cities” initiative, which includes the Chilean cities of Santiago, Independencia, and Peñalolén. Additionally, within Chile’s national strategy framework, activities are being conducted to formulate 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 with an invitation to continue working in networks such as GCoM Americas and highlighted that municipalities can advance their climate action through regional collaboration spaces in municipal matters.
