In 2001, through agreement No.73, the Medellín City Council authorized the Mayor to create an institution to attract international cooperation. Hence, on June 19, 2002, and in accordance with article 95 of Law 489 of 1998, the Agency for International Cooperation of Medellín (A.C.I.) was created. It is a result of a partnership between public entities: Medellín Mayor’s Office, Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM), Metropolitan Area of the Valley of Aburrá and Empresas Varias de Medellín.
In 2004, ACI became increasingly important due to its inclusion on the Fifth line of Development Plan for 2004-2007: “Medellín Integrated with the region and the world.” It set the parameters to effectively implement the internationalization process of the city. Therefore, the City Council provided better conditions and increased the budget for the entity to advance its strategic management.
After the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) advised the city in 2006, it was determined that ACI also will be responsible for attracting foreign direct investment resources to the city.
On March 7, 2007, the entity changed its name to Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellín and the Metropolitan Area – ACI- to denote in its corporate name, its role and the territory it works for.
That same year, ACI certified all its processes under the ISO 9001 and NTCGP1000, certifications that have been ratified ever since.
In 2009, due to the increasing interest of personalities and institutions in the city, ACI began to promote the transformation of Medellín and its best practices as a strategic action to stretch and strengthen international relations which are key to position the city as a model of public administration.
In 2010, ACI commits to position itself by making public its contribution to the development of the city and the metropolitan region. To do so, it gathered the communication actions in a new area that disseminates abroad the advances and successes of Medellín’s development and positions it as the ideal venue for business, academic or political events of international interest.
In 2013, ACI changed its organizational structure after a strategic planning and in 2014 started working divided in processes: Projects and Value Proposals, Knowledge Management, Local and International Relations, Administrative Relations and Positioning.
In 2016, the word Medellín was included to the name and logo, becoming ACI Medellín. In 2017 and after years of working to benefit the social and economic development of the city, ACI Medellín is a key player in the internationalization process of Medellín and the region. It establishes and strengthens strategic international relations that leverage the consolidation of a new and positive image, facilitate access to international cooperation resources and encourage the business and investment flows into the entire territory of Antioquia.
Also, we have signed an agreement with the World Bank so that Medellín becomes that node of knowledge at Latin American level through the ACI Medellín.