Who We Are

  

 

The Major’s Office of Medellin, Empresas Públicas, Empresas Varias and Área Metropolitana del Valle de Aburrá created A.C.I. (Agency of Cooperation and Investment of Medellin and the Metropolitan Area) at the end of 2002, certain of opening an institution which would create the ties with the world that would improve our share in the global flow of capital, products, services, cooperation and knowledge.

 

 

Internationalizing is key for our region since it gives way to create and enhance a range of networks of allies and partners worldwide, which is the platform used to become an increasingly competitive society with better standards of living.

 

That’s why A.C.I. leads this process by repositioning the city before representative audiences and by creating strong ties with strategic partners to collect international cooperation and investment resources which go hand-in-hand with development plans, with the purpose of turning our region into an international beacon of inclusion, cohabitation and competitiveness.

 

 

For A.C.I., international cooperation involves co-responsibility, whereby two or more players (countries, cities, multilateral organizations, NGO’s) form allies to achieve a common goal. Cooperation is far from transferring resources or technical assistance in only one way.

 

Hence, A.C.I. manages international cooperation by promoting a region which is undergoing transformations, which lives with hope thanks to the clear opportunities it has for inclusive development. We invite all international players to become part of this purpose.

 

Our work, only for Medellin, between 2004 and 2007 represented more than $30.000 million pesos in technical and financial cooperation.

 

Indeed, we are the first decentralized international cooperation agency (or DIC) of Colombia which has direct ties with international allies: Cities, regions, national collaborators, multilateral bodies and NGO’s.

 

 

Since 2005, A.C.I. is coordinating the program “Medellin City” of the Mayor’s Office bearing in mind that its purpose also involves boosting multi-cultural sensitivity among the population to transcend local boundaries in terms of knowledge and to understand the relevance of international matters for our development.

 

Indeed, knowing both Spanish and English enables our inclusion in the world’s cultural and commercial setting.