From 1 to 3 October, local and regional leaders gathered in the city of Quito as part of the "Quito International Meeting City Laboratory Habitat III". During the event, participants discussed climate change and sustainable development, local economic development, preservation of cultural heritage and the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the local level. UCLG participated in this meeting and facilitated a learning session to promote local economic development.
In addition, the "Quito Decide" online platform was launched. The platform facilitates participation by generating a virtual space in which all citizens can propose, express their opinions, influence and decide on the fundamental issues of the city. This new platform is also a digital tool for monitoring and follow-up the execution of participatory budgets at the municipal level.
Metropolitan Day, mayors' forum: Actions against climate change in Metropolises
The Mayor of Quito, and Co-President of UCLG, Mauricio Rodas, the Mayor of the Real Sitio de San Ildefonso, José Luis Vásquez, Rita Maestre, Secretary General of the Union of Iberoamerican Capital Cities (UCCI), the Councillor for Economy, Finance and Heritage of Cadiz City Council, David Navarro and the Secretary General of Metropolis, Octavi de la Varga shared a space for reflection, and discussed the responsibility of metropolitan areas in the fight against climate change, highlighting the important efforts of urban management in relation to mobility, integrated waste management and water treatment, among others.
The forum ended with the adhesion of the city of Quito to the Community of Champions in mobility, promoted by UCLG and the International Union of Public Transport (UITP). The Community of Champions in Mobility is a high-level platform where Mayors, Ministers and other key actors share their mobility challenges and solutions, to ensure a promotion policy of public transport. It is a space for dialogue, where different actors meet to share good practices, experiences and knowledge related to the creation and implementation of urban mobility policies.
International learning workshop to promote local economic development
The International learning workshop "Instruments for the promotion of local economic development in urban and rural environments" was organized by the Economic Promotion Agency, ConQuito, and was supported by the Andalusian Fund of Municipalities for International Solidarity (FAMSI) and UCLG. The objective of the event was to facilitate the exchange of experiences and knowledge among those responsible for Economic Development for the integral improvement of their institutional capacities. The Local Economic Development Agencies (LEDAs) are instruments that allow the articulation of actors within the territory: local and national governments, international cooperation, academia, private companies, etc. LEDAs make it possible to articulate, generate planning and contribute to the overall development of the territory.
During two days of work, the participants shared their experiences, successes and challenges, highlighting the importance of a strategic vision of local economic development with territorial impact, the articulation of diverse actors and the importance of the localization of global agendas and networking.
Experiences on the localization of sustainable development objectives
During the forum, speakers and participants met in a working environment in which they shared their experiences in localizing Sustainable Development Objectives (SDGs) at the local level. The city of Sao Paulo, Conquito, the mayor of the Real Sitio de San Ildefonso, José Luis Vásquez representing FEMP and UCLG, presented examples of different experiences related to the localization of the SDGs. Later on, participants discussed their challenges in an open dialogue space. The forum concluded with an interactive learning workshop on tools for promoting and localizing the SDGs, which allowed local leaders to familiarize themselves with some of the tools and methodologies available, including the "Role-play about the circular economy. Group dynamic for localizing the SDG 12".
- Know the Role-play about the circular economy.
- Read about the Learning Module 1: Localizing SDGs.