EPM and Aguas Nacionales sign cooperation agreement with the City of Copenhagen

The ambassador of Denmark, Erik Høeg, the general manager of EPM and leader of the EPM Group, John Maya Salazar, and the president of Aguas Nacionales Grupo EPM, Henry Parra Molina signed a cooperation agreement between the city of Copenhagen and the EPM Group to initiate cooperation that will allow the business group to receive advice and technical support in wastewater treatment and water loss management.

The agreement represents a very important milestone in the collaboration between the Embassy of Denmark and the EPM Group to promote efficiency and sustainability of water resources, since this collaboration will include issues such as wastewater treatment through biogas production, process optimization, biosolids, nitrogen and phosphorus management, as well as water loss management, through advice and technical support in the pre-location of leaks, network replacement with the use of technology and asset management.

ICA Medellín, a key player in the cooperation between EPM and Copenhagen

The Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellín – ICA Medellín played a key role in the realization of the cooperation agreement between the EPM Group and the city of Copenhagen. ICA Medellín facilitated the rapprochement between the two entities and provided technical and logistical support throughout the negotiation process.

The general manager and leader of EPM Group expressed that “the cooperation with the City of Copenhagen brings us in the optimization of the wastewater management and water supply business, strengthening our distinctive capacity for operational excellence. We are committed to offer our knowledge and experience in asset management in the wastewater business to the team that will form this agreement”.

The relationship that the EPM Group has had so far with the city of Copenhagen has allowed the training of a group of EPM and Aguas Nacionales officials in topics of interest to the organization such as circular economy, climate change and project management through training and missions that have been fully funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The cooperation agreement signed today reflects the commitment shared by both parties to face the global challenges in terms of climate change and water security, and thus contribute to the sustainable development of the territories where the EPM Group is present.

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Medellin Fire Department strengthens its canine component with training from the most important expert in the Spanish-speaking world.

The purpose is to strengthen the firefighting and rescue response systems in Medellín, Valle de Aburrá, and other municipalities in Antioquia that are participating in the training.

A total of 28 members from official and volunteer firefighting and rescue groups from Valle de Aburrá and other municipalities in Antioquia are taking part in the training session with the most prominent Spanish-speaking expert in canine search and rescue. This expert is Álvaro Martínez Arroyo, who has 27 years of experience in the field and is currently in the city thanks to an international technical cooperation project by the Regional Government of Castilla y León in Spain, DAGRD, and ACI Medellín.

The recent case of the dog Wilson in Guaviare, which allowed for the successful location and rescue of four minors, reaffirms the importance of canines in these operations. “The dog, nowadays, is the best tool to locate and rescue people; there is no other tool capable of surpassing a search and rescue dog in terms of abilities and reliability,” expressed Álvaro Martínez, the Spanish expert.

This training is based on a different approach to canine training, employing a much more holistic methodology. The guide is provided with principles and scientific studies on canine training, which allows for a broader perspective and improvement in the training of search and rescue dogs. “Technical support and strengthening, both in operational and academic aspects, enable the partnerships in our metropolitan area to grow stronger. DAGRD and the Official Fire Department of Medellín have made this space available for co-creation, jointly strengthening the search and locating capabilities with canines,” said Laura Duarte, director of DAGRD.

The training provided to emergency response and firefighting organizations, including Medellín’s Fire Department, consists of 450 hours. Soon, the guides will further reinforce their learning in this first part through a virtual course with the University of Burgos, Spain. In October, the expert will return to Medellín, and next year, those who complete the entire process will travel to Spain to conclude their training and receive certification.

Among the participants are members of DAGRD, Medellín’s firefighters, Bello, Sabaneta, Envigado, San Jerónimo, the National Fire Department, and rescue organizations such as the Red Cross, Garsa Group, Aeronautical Search and Rescue, Carabineros, Police Rescue, and support groups.

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Medellín and Rio de Janeiro strengthen international cooperation in security and urban development

In recent years, the bilateral relationship between Medellín and Rio de Janeiro has significantly strengthened. Both cities have collaborated on issues of security, urban development, and technology, which has allowed for the exchange of knowledge and best practices.

A delegation from Rio de Janeiro visited Medellín to learn about projects and experiences of the Mayor’s Office in public security, governance, and risk prevention.

One of the most notable projects was the collaboration between Medellín and the Rio-ITS Institute of Technology and Society in 2022. This prestigious institution investigates the impact of technology on society and participated in a webinar organized by ACI Medellín on opportunities for the city and the region in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

International cooperation between Medellín and Rio de Janeiro has also been reflected in foreign direct investment. Since 2008, 9 investment projects have been managed from Brazil to the territory, with a total investment amount of USD 87.6 million. The infrastructure and logistics sector has been the main recipient of these funds, followed by the technology services sector.

These exchanges and collaborations are an example of both cities’ commitment to sustainable development and peacebuilding. International cooperation allows for the joint strengthening of urbanism, environment, and security policies and programs, benefiting both communities.

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Medellin to open consulate general of Argentina to strengthen ties with more than 3,000 nationals living in the district

The Consulate General of Argentina will be opened in Medellín this year, with the purpose of assisting in migratory matters to close to 3,000 people from said country living in the city. This was announced by the Ambassador of Argentina in Colombia, Gustavo Alejandro Dzugala.

Gustavo Alejandro Dzugala, ambassador of Argentina in Colombia, announced from Medellín the opening of a general consulate in the city this year.

This diplomatic office will also promote cultural and economic ties and new cooperation and investment actions at the local level.

“I am here in Medellín to announce the opening of our consulate general in this city, in the framework of the 200th anniversary of the relationship between Colombia and my country, which also brought us to participate in the Tango Festival, which is the largest in the world, outside Argentina, and in the Book Festival,” said Ambassador Gustavo Alejandro Dzugala.

Most of the consulates in Medellín are honorary, which means that they only have the mission of representing the country in some events or meetings. The general consuls, as in the case of Peru and now Argentina, will have all the capacity to attend to the needs in migratory matters and documents of the nationals who are in the city, as well as to solve diplomatic and commercial issues between both territories, always under the supervision of the embassies.

This consulate will be the second one to be opened in the capital of Antioquia, after the one in Peru started operating in 2019.

At the end of 2022, Mayor Daniel Quintero Calle signed a memorandum of understanding with Buenos Aires to promote social development, urbanism and innovation, which served to advance the relations of both territories, facilitating actions of greater transcendence to implement with the opening of this new consulate.

Between 2008 and 2022, Argentina’s foreign investment in Medellín has amounted to US$100 million due to the arrival of companies such as Globant, MercadoLibre, Ternium, Acamica and Tecso, among others, which saw in the Antioquian capital a territory with qualified human talent, competitive costs and a culture conducive to business expansion.

The 200th anniversary of the Argentina-Colombia relationship will be celebrated in 2023, for which reason the southern country will be invited to the Tango Festival and the Book Festival, to be held in the second half of the year in the city.

In terms of cooperation, an amount of US$400,000 was reached between 2008 and 2023, in actions related to governance and peace building, educational and cultural transformation, economic development, among others. Most of these cooperation alliances were with Buenos Aires and Santa Fe, with exchanges of best practices under the South-South cooperation modality.

It is expected that with the opening of the consulate, plus the participation of Argentina as a guest country in the Tango Festival and the Book Festival 2023 and the memorandum signed with Buenos Aires in 2022, the cultural, commercial and tourism relationship with one of the most important countries in the continent will be strengthened.

Mayor of Medellín, Daniel Quintero and Argentine Ambassador to Colombia, Gustavo Alejandro Dzugala.
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Medellin, a step forward in investment and development cooperation 2023 trend reports

Trend reports 2023

The Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellin and the Metropolitan Area – ACI Medellin, shares the 2023 trend reports on international investment and cooperation as a means to know the factors that will enable partnerships with governments and companies in order to meet the social, economic and environmental objectives of our city.

Every year Medellin increases its international positioning thanks to partnerships with countries around the world that see in our city a model of transformation that led it to become an innovative and resilient territory at a regional and global level.

We hope that these reports on trends in Investment and Financing for Development can add value to people and entities that see in the global strategy an ally to promote their objectives.

Informe de tendencias de financiación para el desarrollo

Informe de tendencias de inversión extranjera directa

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IQor inaugurates its new BPO office in Medellin to expand integrated digital services worldwide

iQor, a provider of managed customer service and business process outsourcing technology solutions, opens its first office in Colombia, located in the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley.

They expect to hire more than 500 employees this year to respond to the growing demand for omnichannel customer service that optimizes the automation of the customer experience and the human experience.

This multinational technology company was born in the United States and today has 40,000 employees spread over 10 countries from where they provide services to companies and governments around the world, and now they will be located in the Viva shopping center with an office of 2,300 mt2 and the presence of more than 500 employees they expect to hire this year.

“We are delighted to celebrate the opening of our new branch in Colombia to respond to the growing demand for omnichannel customer service that optimizes customer experience automation and human experience. We look forward to investing in the local community with great career opportunities and charitable initiatives that build positive connections,” said Gary Praznik, CEO of iQor.

Medellin was chosen for its cutting-edge technology innovation, as well as its highly skilled and digitally savvy bilingual talent.

In addition to the employment opportunities, they were committed to the development of children and adolescents in the territory through the Antioquia Children’s Foundation, to whom they made a first contribution of 10 million pesos.

For Juan Camilo Mergesh, executive director of ACI Medellín, “today our region celebrates the arrival of a company that in addition to offering valuable employment, is linked to the development of children and adolescents in the territory. We put all the institutional framework of our city at iQor’s service so that they can fulfill their expansion plans and add to the consolidation of Medellin as a Software Valley”.

Those interested in applying for the job offers can apply at apply.iqor.com or visit iQor Colombia’s Facebook page

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Delegates from Chongqing, China visited Medellin to promote high-impact economic, social and cultural development for both territories

As part of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between both cities in 2022, more than 20 delegates from Chongqing, China, visited Medellin for two days with the objective of meeting with businessmen, leaders of public and private entities to strengthen economic, social and cultural development.

The delegation was led by Zhang Yuanhong, Deputy Secretary of Yuzhong District, Chongqing and six other officials from this Asian district as well as businessmen, who participated in a meeting with local businessmen and leaders of our district such as the Secretary of Economic Development of Medellin, Mauricio Valencia; the executive director of ACI Medellín, Juan Camilo Mergesh; the regional director of ProColombia Antioquia, María Luisa Duque; the former Colombian ambassador to China, Luis Diego Monsalve; and local businessmen interested in strengthening ties with this city of 30 million inhabitants.

For Juan Camilo Mergesh, executive director of ACI Medellin, “Chongqing’s vast experience in various fields, its technological development and its entrepreneurial spirit inspire and motivate us to learn and grow together. We are committed to take this opportunity to build bridges and establish a mutually beneficial relationship, promoting economic and social development in both territories”.

A year ago, we celebrated the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two territories, an agreement that has provided us with a solid framework for strengthening our economic, cultural and commercial relations. The signing of this memorandum was a significant step towards fostering cooperation and the mutual exchange of knowledge and experiences towards a common future of social, technological, urban and cultural projection.

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Medellín was selected by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation for a project that benefits migrants and refugees

With the project “Integrate yourself in the Territories”, the city was selected by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to implement projects that benefit the migrant and refugee population living in the capital of Antioquia.

The donation amounts to $4.75 billion so that the District Administration can implement initiatives to break down the barriers that prevent people in conditions of human mobility from accessing employment, education, socio-cultural integration, entrepreneurship, among other services.

With the funds granted, the proposal will be implemented in eight municipalities for 20 months (until November 30, 2024). The resources will be used for job training, entrepreneurship, legal guidance, psychosocial care, prevention of sexual violence in minors, among others.

The eight prioritized communities are: Popular, Manrique, Aranjuez, Robledo, Villa Hermosa, San Javier, Belén and San Antonio de Prado, as a result of the characterization carried out by the District and international cooperation. These areas have the highest concentration of migrant population, with limited access to basic services and institutional supply.

Attention will focus on health, education, job training, job offers, prevention of gender violence, sexual violence in children and adolescents, legal and psychological counseling, and citizen participation and integration.

Similarly, it seeks to decentralize the offer through the Mobile Classroom of the School for Inclusion, a strategy that will train 720 migrants and refugees in labor and citizenship skills, of which it is planned to support 240 in the search for employment and accompany 480 in strengthening their enterprises.

“For us, as a District, it is important to create strategies that offer adequate attention. For this reason, we are grateful for the allocation of resources made by the Hilton Foundation for the District. These resources will be represented in more benefits to this population. We will be providing more opportunities to make their stay in the city much more welcoming,” said the Secretary of Social Inclusion, Family and Human Rights, Isabel Cristina Cadavid Álvarez.

On the other hand, the resources derived from the donation will be destined to the prevention and attention of sexual violence in minors through the project “The magic of playing is to heal”, which offers integral and humanized attention through play and games. It is estimated to impact around 1,120 children and 280 fathers, mothers and/or caregivers.

In order to guarantee effective access to these services, eight new territorial professionals were added who will follow up on individual cases that cannot be referred immediately, either due to legal or personal issues, in order to provide the respective support and comprehensive care.

This donation is one of the international cooperation milestones with the greatest local impact in recent years, improving the quality of life of migrants and refugees.

“It is a pleasure to announce that the Hilton Foundation has granted $1 million to Medellín for a project that will promote the integration of vulnerable communities in eight communities. We chose the city for its openness and willingness to support the migrant population and their host communities, and we are confident that this project will benefit hundreds of families with their social, economic and cultural integration,” said Marcela González, program officer for the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s refugee initiative.

During this four-year period, the Mayor’s Office of Medellín has benefited more than 113,508 people through strategies such as housing assistance, the 123 migrant module, the opening of the Intégrate center – in coordination with international cooperation – located in the Los Ángeles neighborhood (Calle 59 # 45-53) and the creation of a public policy.

In 2022, the Global Fund of Cities for Migration awarded an award to the District, thanks to the housing assistance initiative, which has benefited more than 2,900 people in conditions of human mobility, guaranteeing them access to a roof over their heads, food and cleaning supplies.

“Currently, I am one of the beneficiaries of the Intégrate Center, they have helped us in the area of entrepreneurship, Intégrate’s services have helped me to promote my audiovisual production company,” said Francisco Fernández, a Venezuelan migrant.

One of the biggest challenges is to ensure that this public has access to formal employment, because until 2022, according to the Second National Report on Inclusive Employment, 92% had informal jobs. Thus, the administration highlights the importance of the articulation with the School for Inclusion and Livelihoods, where counseling, training and courses are offered for future employment.

“We were able to attract the attention and interest of the foundation to continue supporting the work with citizens in vulnerable situations. Thanks to this international cooperation alliance, which is materialized with the donation of one million dollars, we can move forward in the social and economic development of our territory”, expressed the director of ACI Medellín, Juan Camilo Mergesh.

Medellin, as a recipient city, strengthens the comprehensive care of people in conditions of human mobility, in order to ensure a territory of opportunities for all.

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Medellín will receive funding from the United Kingdom, with the support of C40 Cities, to implement flagship climate action projects

Medellin is among the 15 cities in Latin America, Africa and Asia that will receive support from the United Kingdom and C40 Cities to implement programs to mitigate Greenhouse Gases in the District, through projects of the 2020-2023 Development Plan that are focused on reducing the carbon footprint in the city.

Technical assistance for energy efficiency will be focused on the solar panel projects under line K of the metrocable and the Urban Air Protected Zone – ZUAP in the downtown.

The solar panel project under the K line of the Metrocable and the Urban Air Protected Zone (ZUAP) will receive technical assistance from the UKAID-CAI Program, with an investment of close to US$1 million. The assistance will run through December 2025.

“Thanks to the entire C40 group that allows this to have a giant impact on millions of citizens who live in this Medellín, which is obviously impacted by climate change. This will allow us to breathe better air, especially in the downtown city; that several areas of the city, especially the K line near the commune 13, have solar energy that will reduce the climate impact that we are generating on the planet; and especially in EPM will allow it to be at the forefront, to advance in the purpose of producing green hydrogen that will serve to grow EPM, but also to improve the conditions of the planet to address climate change, “said the mayor of Medellin, Daniel Quintero Calle.

The ZUAP project, promoted by the district administration, seeks to reduce CO2 emissions generated in the city center, one of the areas most affected by air quality, through actions such as pedestrianization of some roads, charging electric bicycles and charging for vehicle congestion, among other measures.

C40 Cities and the British Embassy in Colombia support with this new milestone the strategy of turning Medellín into an Ecocity.

The solar panels under the Metrocable K line will be installed on the roofs of homes and public buildings located in the neighbors down the Metrocable, which generates an economic benefit to families by generating their own energy, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

From left to right, Andrea Fernández, C40 Director of Climate Planning, Finance and Partnerships; George Hodgson, UK Ambassador to Colombia; Daniel Quintero Calle, Mayor of Medellín; and Victor Giraldo, EPM Director of Business Development Cooperation.

This pilot project means democratizing and making clean energy inclusive, bringing it to areas of the city that have been marginalized for decades, and this type of project is a vehicle for building bridges of peace and reconciliation.

The program’s budget for city support is approximately $1 million.

“Today we are launching a new partnership with Medellín in terms of our common action on climate change, which consists of a program of measures to improve air quality and reduce the production of greenhouse gases. From the British Government’s point of view, Medellín is a strategic city, it has shown leadership in this fight and is sharing its experience with other cities, not only in the region but around the world,” said George Hodgson, Ambassador of the United Kingdom in Colombia,

This international cooperation action will also facilitate British companies to share their experience with EPM to develop projects for the production of green hydrogen and reduce Greenhouse Gases.

“The support will be for two programs here in Medellin: first is to promote the ZUAP, which is a very innovative project in Colombia and in this region, and to bring clean energy to an area that has had its period of violence in the past, but now has a very attractive future. We are very grateful for the support of the British government and are happy to be able to collaborate with the city of Medellin on these innovative programs,” explained Andrea Fernandez, C40’s Director of Climate Planning, Finance and Partnerships.

The United Kingdom is committed to the implementation of climate actions through the drastic reduction of greenhouse gases, this is reflected in the funding of programs that are being advanced in the city, such as the UKAID-CAI program, for the implementation phase of the Medellin 2020-2050 Climate Action Plan and technical assistance for green hydrogen with Empresas Publica de Medellin.

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Medellin shared with Brazil the best practices that consolidate it as an international benchmark for Smart Tourist Destinations

For its innovation, technology, sustainability, governance and accessibility, Medellin is a leader and benchmark in the Americas for its management model for Smart Tourist Destinations, according to SEGITTUR, the Spanish entity that certifies this type of destinations worldwide. For this reason, the capital of Antioquia received the visit of a delegation composed of 20 delegates from Brazil belonging to the governmental, academic and business sectors, with the objective of learning, through knowledge transfer, the good practices of the city as a Smart Tourist Destination.

Between 2021 and 2022, Medellin has led more than 40 knowledge transfer sessions with cities in Colombia and other countries in the Americas.

The group learned about Medellín’s Smart Tourism certification process, its achievements and challenges. Also, they learned about tourism applications such as Medellín Travel (the official travel guide) and Medellín City Card (the digital passport for parks and attractions), and visited the Smart Tourism Center (first in the country).

“We are very pleased to be able to share with our friends from Brazil all the knowledge around what is the transformation of the smart tourism information system and what we have been doing to position Medellín as the first Smart Tourism Destination in Colombia,” said the Undersecretary of Tourism, Ledys López.

Between 2021 and 2022, more than 40 benchmarking sessions have been held, in which good practices were shared and knowledge was transferred to cities in Colombia and other countries in the Americas. In them, actions such as training focused on smart tourism destination, the stimulus program for sustainability, the reactivation of the tourism sector and the tourism culture strategy, among others, have been highlighted.

“I have come from Brazil to learn more about tourism development here in the city of Medellin. We came with the commission to learn how Medellin has formed a Smart City and a Smart Tourism Destination. I am looking forward to going back to Brazil with the good practices I am learning about here to put them into practice and turn them into projects in my province, Paraná, and in the south of Brazil, and develop smart tourism as they are doing here”, said Patricia Albanez, representative of the Brazilian Government.

About 65 entities have participated in the process of making Medellin the first Intelligent Tourism Destination in Colombia, including public, private, mixed, guilds and tourism service providers, which have provided information on the projects, programs and activities being developed.

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Seven social organizations in Medellín will strengthen their abilities to access international cooperation resources.

In order to create alliances with the world to achieve sustainable development and build a better place for the people of Medellin, the ACI Medellin began accompanying seven civil social organizations in the city: the Christian Youth Association ACJ-YMCA Medellin, the Juan Felipe Gomez Escobar Foundation, the SACIAR Foundation – Food Bank, the Salva Terra Foundation, the Antioquia Presente Corporation, the Seed of Hope Corporation, and the Dreams and Footprints of Tomorrow Corporation, to strengthen their capacities in international cooperation management.

About 20 social organizations of the civil society of the city applied for the call, seven of which were selected to be guided and accompanied by the ACI Medellín. Among the selection criteria, the impact, experience in international cooperation and the public-private articulation of the organizations were evaluated.

The organizations were selected based on their track record in international cooperation processes through a call for proposals that evaluated their impact, experience in international cooperation and public-private articulation with other organizations.

David Villegas García, executive director of the Salva Terra Foundation, said that through this process they seek to “strengthen relations through cooperation and investment in rural development and food security for the municipality of Medellín and the department of Antioquia”.

The pilot project, which will run through the second half of 2022, includes activities such as the identification and socialization of international cooperation calls and advice on the formulation and application process, a cycle of training in cooperation that will work on topics such as scenarios for seeking opportunities, information management and contexts for applications, cooperation language, project formulation and budgetary considerations, successful experiences, among others.

Organizations not selected in this cycle of accompaniment will be able to be trained in the free virtual course “Introduction to International Cooperation for the non-profit sector”.

“In the ACI Medellin, we are proud to begin the work of accompanying social organizations, with which we hope not only to increase the flow of cooperation resources entering the territory, but also to strengthen the social ecosystem of the city,” said Juan Manuel Muñoz, Project Management director of the Agency.

The ACI Medellin invites social organizations not selected in this process to strengthen their capacities in cooperation through the free virtual course “Introduction to International Cooperation for the non-profit sector” with an intensity of 16 hours that will be open from August 15 to October 30, 2022. More information at https://virtual.acimedellin.org/

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Denmark announces cooperation with Medellín

With the purpose of exploring possibilities of cooperation with Medellin, we received the visit of the Danish Embassy in Colombia, led by its ambassador Erik Høeg, and accompanied by the city counselor Mikkel Hall. After the visit they announced that the city-city cooperation program of the Mayor of Copenhagen has decided to start a new cooperation in Latin America, and Medellin is one of the priority cities.

We organized a full work agenda with the Danish delegation, which included a meeting with the general manager of EPM, Jorge Andrés Carrillo Cardoso; the vice president (e) of Strategy and Planning, Luisa María Pérez Fernández; the director of the EPM Foundation, Vivian Puerta, and a group of officials of the Company. At the meeting, the general manager of EPM highlighted the importance of cooperation for the achievement of EPM’s strategy and acknowledged the experience of the Danish country in clean energy issues and in the implementation of circular economy programs, which can contribute to the fulfillment of the company’s goals.

“The first phase is to grow closer, to understand where we can do things, where the city has needs, while also coming to learn a lot from Medellín. We recognize EPM as an engine for the transformation of the city and that is why we are here to know where we can develop concrete projects or initiatives with city impact.” said the Danish Ambassador.

The director of the EPM Foundation, Vivian Puerta, highlighted Denmark’s Embassy ‘s cooperation in the strategy “My Sustainable Future”, an initiative aimed at children between 7 and 14 years old that is being organized jointly by this embassy, the District of Medellin, the ACI Medellín and the EPM Foundation and that will be presented next September.

The delegation lived the silletero experience

Since we were in the midst the city’s Feria de las Flores, we took advantage of the opportunity to tour the silletero farms with Ambassador Erik Høeg in the township of Santa Elena. The ambassador lived an experience full of tradition, flowers, plays and stories.

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The international community supports Medellín’s peace building efforts

Medellín received full support this week in its interest to construct memory, defend human rights and help victims in their quest to know the truth about violence in Comuna 13 (the city’s 13th Disctrict).

For the ACI Medellin, reconciliation, dialogue and peace processes are a priority when it comes to relating with the world to gather good practices and the best allies to promote these initiatives. This is the reason why this week, we visited La Escombrera, a sector in the west part of the city, with international organizations such as the United Nations Development Program – UNDP; Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia – MAPP OAS; Spanish Agency for International Cooperation – AECID and the Special Jurisdiction for Peace – JEP. Embassies from the Canadian, German, United Kingdom and Sweden governments were also present.

During the visit, the Secretary of Non-Violence of Medellín explained to the cooperants the road that many families have had to travel in search of justice and reparation.

This space allowed the creation of strategic relationships that give way to international cooperation as a tool that opens opportunities for fact clarification. Likewise, with this tour, the need to have historical memory within our territory is made visible by reconstructing stories.

Context

“La Escombrera” is a site in the Comuna 13 of Medellin, which has been a site of constant reports by relatives of the disappeared and social organizations as a space of clandestine burials of people who had been detained, tortured, executed, and buried in the place, using this debris disposal site for the concealment of the bodies. The relatives of the disappeared have appropriated the site as a place of memory, carrying out many of their symbolic acts to demand truth, justice, and reparation, as well as representing a hope to find the remains of their loved ones. The space of La Escombrera will allow us to think about the relationships between conflict, violence, and the logic of heritage.

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13 child football players from Medellin will travel to Korea to an International Tournament

Thanks to a city application made by INDER Medellín with the Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellin and the Metropolitan Area – ACI Medellín, 13 athletes from the capital of Antioquia will travel to South Korea to represent the country in the Son Heung Min International Youth Football Tournament. The event receives its name in honor of the prestigious Tottenham Hotspur player from England who supports the event through his football academy.

The event, which will take place in Chuncheon, South Korea, is sponsored by the prestigious Tottenham footballer, Son Heung Min

“In Medellín we continue betting on sports as tools for social transformation. We’re letting the city know that 13 children are going to South Korea to fulfill a dream. This delegation shows Medellín that we can transform the realities of the young people in our Comunas (districts), who are often exposed to other realities, but today, we can say that we have the proper conditions to offer them a better future”, said the director of INDER Medellín, Cristian Sánchez.

The kids were selected after several months of training and scouting work with more than 40 players, among users of INDER Medellín, sports clubs in the city and the Antioquia discipline league. They are all children from different districts of the city, Bello and Itagüí, and the coaching staff is headed by Diego Toro, a former professional football player.

The athletes’ selection process included psychotechnical tests and a medical examination to identify the weight, height and muscle mass profile, as well as their strength, speed and coordination capabilities.

“As a coach, you’ll always want to get to know new cultures, a different kind of football, so for me it’s a nice experience, just like for the boys. For many of them, this will be the first time they get on a plane, and just that is part of our innovation. We have to go to represent our city and our country in the best way possible”, said the technical director, Diego Toro.

Teams from six countries were invited to the event. The team from Medellín is the only representative of Colombia. There, they will meet athletes from South Korea, China, Mongolia, Russia, and Vietnam.

“For me, this trip represents the dedication, effort and attitude that I have always put into football. It represents the love of my parents knowing that football is my passion, taking me to practice, taking me to different clubs and playing in championships”, commented Samuel Geovo Murillo, one of the team players

The tournament is an 8-a-side football tournament for under-12 athletes and will take place from June 8th to June 12th at the Son Heung Min Sports Park in Chuncheon, South Korea. The purpose of the friendly category contest is to generate bonds of friendship between the participating teams.

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Comisión de la Policía Militar de São Paulo

Commission of the military police of São Paulo visited Medellín to lear about the achievement of the articulated strategy against crime

As an enriching experience for strategy exchange and an opportunity to recognize the positive changes in Medellin, the members of a commission from Military House of the Governor’s Office of State of São Paulo described the visit to the city, that during this week toured the facilities of the Secretariat of Security and Coexistence on the occasion of a binational exchange ordered from the Brazilian government.

The delegation acknowledged advances in technology, prevention and response of the Integrated Emergency and Security System.

It is of great importance that the efforts made in Medellín in terms of infrastructure, intelligence and coordination for security are internationally recognized. It’s often that people abroad believe that the city is still as it was in the 90’s and when they look closely at what we’ve achieved, they are surprised and wish to learn” said the Secretary of Security and Coexistence, José Gerardo Acevedo Ossa. 

The Secretariat of Security and Coexistence and the ACI Medellín served as hosts of the commission, which fulfills the visit ordered by the Governor of the State of São Paulo. This is one of the many international visits that we attend constantly to share knowledge and formalize partnerships.

Comisión de la Policía Militar de São Paulo

The delegation from the State of Sao Paulo’s Military Police’s Command Plan consisted of Lieutenant Colonel Anísio Araújo Dos Santos (director of the Administrative Department), Captain Rodrigo Fiorentini (director of the Humanitarian Logistics Center), Ricardo Cledson Leito Dos Passos (Planning Division), Hugo Valentín Kroll Miranda (Captain of the Military Police of Sao Paulo) and Rafael de Vitro Salvador (Heritage Centre).

“Medellin is a very nice and orderly city, the Secretariat of Security is very technologically advanced, like what we have in Sao Paulo. We were really impressed. We came here to learn about transformation and integration”, said Captain Miranda.

Among the data presented to the neighboring country’s commission, we highlight the progressive reduction of homicides in Medellin in recent years, today by -4% compared to the previous year, which makes it the most peaceful of the last four decades, and the technological capacity that includes 2,890 cameras integrated into SIESM and the Carbyne and ICAD subsystems, which operate similarly in the city of São Paulo.

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20 years of the ACI Medellín deserve the recognition given by the French Chamber of Commerce

With pride, the ACI Medellín received a special recognition from CCI France Colombia and its general director, Pedro Valero, for its 20 years of experience. He highlighted that the work between the two entities and especially between Medellín and France has been essential in raising cooperation and investment resources that allow the growth and development of our territory.

This is an honorable recognition for so many citizens who have benefited directly and indirectly from the projects in which international cooperation and investment have been present thanks to the Agency’s management.

With approximately USD 500 million in investment and USD 2.5 million in cooperation, France has one of the best relationships with Medellín. Companies such as Renault Sofasa, Grupo Éxito, Decathlon and Poma are some of the most outstanding companies that have arrived in the territory.

French companies in Colombia invoice more than 20 billion euros per year and generate more than 120 thousand direct jobs.

In the 20 years of its history, the entity has managed 21 foreign direct investment projects with France that represent an investment amount of 496.17 million dollars, of which 51.40% are focused on investments in the manufacturing sector and 41.98% in the commerce sector.

Likewise, the city has received more than USD 2.5 million in cooperation, for projects focused on sustainable mobility, environment and biodiversity, urban planning and culture. One of the works that stands out the most in the city thanks to cooperation resources was the Ayacucho Tramway. The French Development Agency (AFD) managed to finance a large part of this project.

For Jonathan Ballesteros, director of Local and International Relations of the ACI Medellín, “the relationship with France and specifically with the French Chamber of Commerce is a strategic issue for the entire city, because, thanks to the companies and resources achieved through cooperation, we’ve managed to generate jobs for thousands of people and carry out projects that have led the way towards our dream of a Medellín of the Future.”

Pedro Valero, general director of CCI France also stated: “It’s essential for our entity to have allies in supporting the attraction of investment to the country and to Medellín; For this reason, the ACI Medellin is a strategic actor in the development of relations between France and the city due to its knowledge, experience and access to the key actors in Medellín”.

Currently, French companies are interested in participating in large projects in the city and region, such as Puerto Antioquia and the 80th Avenue Metro Line, considering the impeccable track record that companies such as Poma, GreenYellow and Alstom have delivered for projects such as the tramway, Metro cables and generation of renewable energy.

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Medellín ha recibido una cooperación de más de USD 1.2 millones del Ayuntamiento de Barcelona

International cooperation of Barcelona encourages Medellin to be a more inclusive Eco-city

María Nazaret and Jesús Enrique don’t know eachother personally, but they both have something in common: they have been beneffitted by the Barcelona Solidaria program; the former as a homeless person, and the latter as a farmer in the Santa Elena township. They are part of the 13 programs and projects of our city that, since 2020, have recieves about 1,1 million euros from international cooperation.

Jesús Enrique is one of the 25 food producers of the Rutas de Siembra project that seeks to strengthen plot productivity, promote the circular economy and provide associative, community, business and environmental support.

25 farmers from Santa Elena benefit from the cooperation with Barcelona for production, marketing and environmental awareness in food cultivation.

His farm is located near the Arví Metrocable station, a route well known by thousands of tourists that each weekend, come to this township to experience nature at its finest. “Don Jesus’s Farm” as known by most of his neighbors, is filled with color, thanks to all the fruit and vegetables sowed there. Tomatos of all shapes, colors and sizes, lettuce, rosemary kale and cabbage are just some of the products grown by this kind and friendly man.

“The Rutas de Siembra project has helped us with marketing, they’ve provided training sessions on selling, focused on tourism and agriculture, to attend the community’s needs and produce cleanly and organically” says Jesús when reffering to this project that has access to more than 500 million pesos in cooperation resources managed by the NGO “Antioqueños Unidos in Catalonia for Colombia” and executed by Comfenalco.

For Maryori Londoño, Township manager of Medellín, “From the Management we’ve helped with guarantees as well as with the achievement and accompaniment of the producers that this project has helped. Through Rutas de Siembra, it has been possible to train and educate 25 producers located around the Comfenalco Hotel and its surrounding area, and in this process they’ve also been provided with the creation of access routes to commercialize their products in the Arví market and with the hotel also buying their products”.

María Nazaret, is part of another project benefitted from cooperation with Barcelona. She is a homeless woman that, alongside of her dog, Lulo, who she considers her child, lives paralel to the Medellín River in the Minorista sector of the city. Each weekend, they’re visited by workers for the Surgir Corporation, that provide them with toiletry kits, as well as with information and education regarding personal care and wellbeing, to reduce damaged caused by drug consumption; but most improtantly, they provide them with a space where they can be heard.

The Barcelona ABD foundation and the Surgir Corporation, with the support of the MAyor’s office of Medellín, has retaken the Listening Centers project, to strengthen the work focused on harm reduction from drug consumption through practices that can help the homeless to take awareness of their health.

Medellín ha recibido una cooperación de más de USD 1.2 millones del Ayuntamiento de Barcelona

Walking through the are surrounding the river, where hundreds of people affected by homelessness live, is now a task being accompanied by the international community, who consider that a homeless person is an important part of society are therefore, we must work towards their wellbeing, understand the path that led them to where they are and, most importantly, dignify their day to day lives.  

More than 500 homeless inhabitants of Medellin have been accompanied by professionals that are helping them mitigate damage caused by drug consumption. 

For Jonathan Ballesteros, director of Local and International Relations of the ACI Medellin “During the validity of the Medellin Futuro Development Plan, the ACI Medellin in alliance with other secretariats and entities of the local government have managed and supported 13 projects that have a direct impact on social and rural development strategies; these projects add up to 1.1 million euros and it is a clear sign that Medellín is one of the great centers of international cooperation in Latin America”.

Since 2006, Medellín has addep up 1,8 million euros in cooperation with Barcelona, with projects focused on culture, urban planning, infants, youth and women, among others.

This shows clear evidence that the relationship between Medellin and Barcelona is passing through one of its best moments, thanks to alliances for development, managed by the private and local sectors and reaching some of the most vulnerable populations.

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The British company, Genius Sports has its largest workforce outside the U.K, in Colombia

Medellín’s reputation for innovation and its potential in digital technology; were some of the reasons that motivated Genius Sports to choose the cityas its first venue in Latin America. The main goal that led to this decision was to be able to offer a 24/7 service and increase the corporate presence in the region.

This company, whose main clients are the main betting houses around the world and the national football federations, provides various types of services: from technological support for live broadcasting, to data monitoring and sport bets training.

Additionally, they are also in charge of building new solutions for fan participation and the development of technological tolos, all done from Medellín.

The results that its presence in the region has brought along is a reciprocal benefit, as this has not only brought more employment and trade to the region, but has also allowed the company to generate long-term alliances with many of the leagues and the largest sports federations around the continent -400 worldwide-. Among these are the AFA (Argentine Football Association), the Dimayor (Colombian Football Major Division) and the MX League (Mexican League), among others for volleyball and basketball.

Genius Sport’s mission with the sports industry goes beyond providing technological support for betting.

“Our solutions range from live streaming and OTT platforms – audio, video and content transmission, over the internet without the involvement of traditional operators -, to data collection and competition management software, as well as a wide variety of tools for sports -and their federations- to attract and monetize their fans”, said Karlo Kivi, General Manager for Genius Sports in Medellín.

Regarding its association with Dimayor, the british company provides its services to help preserve Colombian soccer from the threats of match-fixing and corruption in relation to betting. Additionally, the Major Division of Colombian Soccer also granted the exclusive rights to capture, distribute and commercialize the official data and live video transmissions with the global network of sports betting partners.

“The growth on Genius Sports in Colombia vote of confidence from the multinational to the country, its recent asociation with Dimayor will contribute to the visibility and positioning of our sports, it is also a reflection of the growth in british investment in our country and its diversification” assured Flavia Santoro, president of ProColombia.

For Eleonora Betancur, executive director of the ACI Medellín “Our region continues to be projected as an epicenter for technological development thanks to companies such as Genius Sports that trust in the talent and quality of life that we offer to foreign investment. The articulation between the public, private and academic sectors guarantee that the established companies can have great growth and projection in the short and medium term, generating quality of life and development at all levels of our society.”.

With over 500 employees, Medellin represents Genius Sports’ largest team outside of the UK.

On top of all this, and thanks to its recent listing on the New York Stock Market, the Company has plans to expande ven more in all places where they’re currently operating. “Currently, we have dozens of roles open in Medellín, the goa lis to keep on growing and therefore open many more” added Kivi.

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Medellín and Barcelona seal agreements for the social, environmental, cultural and educational development for both territories

Medellín and Barcelona will strengthen relations between the two cities through the Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) signed by mayor Daniel Quintero and mayor Ada Colau, who was represented by Barcelona’s lieutenant mayor, Laia Bonet, during the official event.

The MOU also aims to strengthen bonds of friendship, collaboration and cooperation. Some of the key areas in which cooperation will take place are promotion of social rights, governance, cultural rights, among others.

The agreement seeks to implement cooperative actions based on the exchange of knowledge and good practices in local public policy and strategic management of governments, to improve the delivery of public services and achieve greater well-being for citizens.

Some of the key areas on which cooperative actions will be taken are promotion of social rights, knowledge management, fight against inequality, governance and the guarantee of protection of human rights through actions that contribute to peace-building, cultural and educational rights, right to the city and environmental justice, among others.

“Medellín and Barcelona are two cities that are working today to eliminate inequalities, transform realities of their citizens and share those experiences that will empower us. We are two cities that are working to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the new challenges posed by the pandemic. Medellín is committed to transform into a Software Valley and we consider Barcelona an ally for that purpose,” said mayor Daniel Quintero Calle.

The mission of the Mayor of Medellín in Barcelona represents a new opportunity to promote, develop and strengthen city bonds. Since 2016, Barcelona has led important projects that have been developed together with Medellín for an amount of USD $1,8 million for education and culture, urban planning and sustainability, social and economic development and peace building, security, and coexistence.

Similarly, in terms of investment, from 2008 to 2021, USD $214 million have been reported, in general with Spain, in sectors such as life sciences, service outsourcing, trade and technology services.

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“Conexión Sin Fronteras” brougth knowledge and experience to more than one thousand entrepreneurs and citizens of Medellín

Nearly 1,000 citizens participated on workshops, consultancies, and conferences with 60 Colombian talents abroad who connected from countries such as Oman, Norway, France, Spain, United States, Sweden, Korea, Canada, Australia, UK, Germany, Mexico, China, Brazil, Argentina, among others.

The “Conexión Sin Fronteras” program was born with the aim of attracting Colombian talent abroad to train Medellín citizens.

As expressed by Jonathan Ballesteros, director of Local and International Relations at ACI Medellín, “The ‘Conexión Sin Fronteras’ program has been a success for so many citizens who have been able to receive training, workshops and advice from Colombian experts living abroad. Thanks to this diaspora we were able to develop talks on topics such as technologies, tourism, creative industries, bilingualism, exports, migration processes, urbanism and computer security, among others, making many people benefit from this knowledge free and close to their needs.”

The 90 events and more than 202 hours of knowledge-transfer benefited 30 companies and 1,000 people in the city; in addition, the project was led together with the Secretariat of Youth and the Secretariat of Women to impact their audiences with special customized themes.

For Medellín to be a Software Valley, we must have human talent specializing in science, technology and innovation to connect the world’s opportunities set here in the city, that’s why along with ACI Medellín we had a great program where we identified the 60 most talented professionals who had left the city, who we ‘recovered’ to be part of the Software Valley. We are fortunate to have such great results and we will continue moving forward toward achieving the dream of connecting Medellín with the world,” said Alejandro Arias, secretary for Economic Development.

Among the outstanding overseas talents that supported the program were Sandra Cano, U.S. Senator from the State of Rhode Island, who spoke about women in politics, sharing her story on how she migrated from Medellín to the United States at the age of 16, and now she has an influential political position in that country.

Sixty Colombians abroad connected from more than 15 countries on five continents to share their experiences and learnings with entrepreneurs and the community. 

Oscar Chamat, responsible for research and policies in Metropolis, participated talking about the development of cities from the field of tactical and strategic urbanism, while Andrés Restrepo, writer and filmmaker who lives in Argentina talked about advising film and documentary projects in that country. One of the three “paisas” (people form Antioquia) that is currently working at NASA, Ricardo Restrepo, who was born in the municipality of Andes, Antioquia, and is now working on the design of space vehicle trajectories for NASA-JPL, California, with the group that designs missions to planets such as Mars and Jupiter, was also one of the program’s participants.

Conexión Sin Fronteras’ was the ideal platform for me to meet face to face with Antioquian entrepreneurs to whom I was able to share my knowledge and experience for their endeavors by means of a pitch and an appropriate oratory to American and foreign investors,” said Alejandro Echeverri, director of U.S. Investment for ProColombia for the southeastern United States and who has lived outside the country for more than a decade.

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With more than 200 business meeting performed, the city closed its event “Medellín and its international allies”

Ambassadors from Sweden, Israel, Denmark, Spain, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Dominican Republic, in addition to mayors from Mexico, Ecuador and Peru, among others, where some of the guests attracted by  the event “Medellín and its International Allies”, that ended with the assistance of 1.600 people, an economic spill of more than 60 thousand dollars and the generation of more than 300 jobs during its montage in Plaza Mayor.

Representatives from 36 countries joined entities from the city’s Public Cluster to initiate relations that will allow the attraction of cooperation and investment.

This opportunity to show the world projects from the Medellin Futuro Development Plan transformed into the proper context to give place to strategic alliances. During the event, more than 200 opportunities for investment and cooperation were achieved, that emerged from the meetings where specific interests were ratified to continue in conversation with strategic actors.

The 300 national and international guests left an economic spill of 60 thousand dollars in two days. 1.600 people assisted the event and 300 jobs were generated.

According to the executive director of de ACI Medellín, Eleonora Betancur, ”Medellín and its International Allies” met two fundamental goals: positioning the city’s image and creating alliances with the world for its transformation.

“Now more than ever, we realize that many cities want to know our model and replicate it in their regions to advance in the way that Medellín has. This event has made it clear to us that Medellín is a model for the world and that people want to know about our good practices, allowing us to position ourselves as an innovative territory in the world.”, said the director.

The Software Valley Centers had eight meeting programmed beforehand, that brough up the possibility of transferring knowledge to cities in countries such as México, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil Bolivia and Korea, and also some Colombian cities, so they can replicate the model of the Centers and therefore create a network that will allow the continuous bettering of this strategy created for the Medellín Futuro Development Plan.

András Beck, head of mission and consul of the Hungarian Embassy in Colombia, stressed that “the image that the world has of Medellín is of a city that has taken an impressive step, I don’t know of another city that has changed so much in such a short time; this is a very tangible reality in all the streets and people”.

On this same line, Ruta N met with the German Agency for International Cooperation- GIZ, where they proposed bringing Colombians who live in Germany to mentor businesspeople from the creative and cultural sectors through the Ruta Naranja project.

The Mobility Secretariat, after a meeting with representatives from the Czech Republic Embassy, received an invitation to visit Prague, with the intention of training on the city’s e public transport planning system, one of the most successful internationally.

“In matters of technology and innovation we find a very natural alliance, not limited to projects, a strategic alliance. Here in Medellín people have a fixed vision of where they want to go and, in that sense, we share that vision and talent, ”said Israel’s ambassador to Colombia, Christian Cantor.

The 80th Avenue Metro project had 14 meeting with ambassadors from Sweden, Israel, El Salvador, with three international investment funds, the Japanese cooperation agency JICA and the Korean Trade and Investment Agency – Kotra, among others, from which short-term possibilities for technical cooperation emerged, with which the personnel of this project will be trained in aspects necessary for its execution.

The opening of the ICLEI city network office in Medellín was also made official, as well as the donation of a mural by the Danish Embassy in Colombia, located in downtown Medellín next to the San Antonio Metro station, and the signing of a letter of intent with the Swedish Embassy in Colombia to strengthen collaboration and knowledge exchange on issues regarding smart cities, circular economy and gender equality.

Finally, the visitors took a tour of different parts of Medellín using public transport (Metro and Tram), including the Paseo Bolívar, Salon Málaga and the eastern part of the city where the Olympic BMX medalists were recently honored, and a mural was delivered as thanks to the trajectory of Mariana Pajón.

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Through the provision of a mural, Denmark strengthens its relations with Medellín through art and culture

The mayor of Medellín, Daniel Quintero Calle, received, through the Ambassador of Denmark, Erik Höeg, a mural by the Colombian artist Diana Ordóñez, inspired by bicycle use and sustainability, a common theme for both territories.

During the event “Medellín and it’s International Allies”, the city received a mural donated by the Embassy of Denmark in Colombia.The delivery of this work of art confirms great instances of the relations between Medellín and this European country

This donation is given as part of the “Medellín and its International Allies” event, and it is a prelude for the “Fiesta del Libro y la Cultura” (Book and Culture Festival), that will be held between September 24th and October 3rd, 2021, and in which Denmark will have an exclusive space dedicated to giving visibility to its culture.

“Medellín is a city open to the world, that believes in the importance of international cooperation bonds. This happens within the framework of the “Medellín and its International Allies” event, with more than 250 international guests, where Denmark is very clearly a special actor, who we wish to thank” said Mayor Daniel Quintero.

Additionally, it is expected that towards the end of the year, the city will receive a bicycle counter located in one of the city’s bicycle routes, donated by Denmark, which will allow a better perspective to be held by the Medellín regarding its bicycle use.

On his end, the Ambassador of Denmark in Colombia, Erik Höeg, highlighted the current moment of the relations between Medellín and his country, and the contribution given by his delegation to the capital of Antioquia.

“We decided to contribute something of our own, something from Denmark, a piece of our culture, of our history. This mural represents Denmark’s history and culture. I see in this city, a development and a vision towards this same direction and I wish that in the future, we will be able to say that Medellín uses bicycles every week”, said the ambassador who highlighted that in Copenhagen, the danish capital, 60% of the population uses this mode of transportation.

“I’ve seen the infrastructure works, and the direction performed there, and I wish to congratulate the city for this” added the diplomat.

The art piece was made by the artist Diana Ordóñez, also known as Ledania, who is a benchmark of Latin American graffiti.

The mural is located on 46th street with Carrera 50, in downtown Medellin, next to the San Antonio metro station, the place where the A and B metro lines cross each other as well as where the city’s tramway starts. According to the number of users in the Metro System, in recent months, an average of 20,000 people a day enter this station. And according to recent data from the Mayor’s Office of Medellín, it is an area through which about 500,000 people pass daily.

“It is a bet towards sustainability and towards reducing Medellín’s transportation carbon footprint” stated Höeg.

The executive director of the ACI Medellín, Eleonora Betancur, assured that “Since last year, we’ve been working constantly with Denmark to identify potential areas where we can articulate cooperation and investment projects between the Mayor’s Office of Medellín and the Embassy of said country in Colombia”.

“With the donation of this mural, we see inevitable elements for a good and friendly relationship between both territories: culture and sustainability, which are also essential aspects for the construction of the Medellín Futuro we dream of, and in which international allies such as Denmark are turned into key actors to continue through the path of transforming into an Ecocity”, she added.

Regarding danish investment, we can highlight the well-known health company called EMI that was installed in Medellín in 2017 with a total of 10 million dollars. Since 2016, Medellín has built a strong relationship with this European country with environmental, innovation, renewable energy, Smart Cities and social inclusivity projects.

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Visita de la Embajada de israel en Medellín

Israel ratifies Medellín as a high priority location

“Medellín is a strategic partner for Israel”, was the beginning of the intervention made by Cristian Cantor, the Israel Ambassador in Colombia. In the meeting with executives of the Mayor’s Office of Medellín, the dignitary highlighted the enormous interest they have in turning Medellín into a fundamental ally for education, the environment and digital innovation.

This small country, located by the Mediterranean Sea in the Middle East region, has become the “mecca of world innovation” in health, energy and environment issues.

With an extension of only 22 thousand square kilometers, equivalent to a third of the Antioquia territory, and a population of approximately 9 million people, it is classified as one of the nations with the highest GDP in the world, occupying the 31st position in this ranking.

The GDP per capita is a very good indicator of living standards and by 2020, in the case of Israel, it was €38,942 euros, placing it in a great position by occupying the 21st place in the ranking. This allows us to assume that its population has good living standards in relation to the 196 countries in the per capita GDP ranking.

In the meeting with Ambassador Cantor, Eleonora Betancur, executive director of ACI Medellín, Juliana Colorado, Secretary of Environment, Juan Sebastián González, Secretary of Digital Innovation and Mauricio Valencia Undersecretary of Business Creation and Strengthening were present. They presented strategies such as the Software Valley Centers, the Digital Neutral Highway, the Medellín innovation Lab and the Ecocity line of the Medellín Futuro Development Plan.

Israel has Medellín as a strategic partner with which they want to strengthen not only the commercial and business relationship but also cooperation, to improve the quality of life between both territories. In the future, it is expected that the city may have a delegate in Israel that will allow all the opportunities that arise between the two territories to properly land.

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El alcalde Daniel Quintero Calle presentó las estrategias de Ecociudad y Valle del Software en el Primer Foro de Jóvenes de C40

Mayor Daniel Quintero Calle presented the Ecocity and Software Valley Strategies in the first C40 Youth Forum

Leaders from all five continents, including Mayor Daniel Quintero Calle, met virtually this Saturday, April 24th at the first C40 Global Youth and Mayors Forum, to discuss and implement actions to address the climate emergency that the planet is experiencing.

The Ecocity strategy represents the clearest goal that the Medellín Futuro Development Plan has to stop climate change.

Since 2020, and as a result of the pandemic, the Antioquia capital has taken a leading role in the C40 network, with a presence at the main table of Mayors for Green Recovery and just after the start of the Coronavirus. Thanks to this participation and environmental strategies, the city was chosen to represent Latin America in the C40 Global Youth and Mayors Forum.

In his speech, the mayor of Medellín reiterated that the opportunity for change is now or never, giving the power of decision back to the people, “but to create the disruptive changes we need to fight climate change, we need to bring the government back to the people and especially to our youth ”, he said.

This forum promotes collaboration on climate action and in favor of a Green New Deal.

The Medellín Futuro Development Plan is aligned with the C40 New Global Green Agreement in which governments and leaders commit to recognize the global climate emergency, keep global warming below the Paris Agreement goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius, put inclusive climate action at the center of all urban decisions and invite political leaders, CEOs, unions, investors and civil society to join this commitment.

Under this perspective, the Ecocity strategic line seeks to make Medellín Carbon Neutral by 2050, with infrastructure works that guarantee sustainable mobility, such as the 80th Avenue Metro, the great north to south bicycle route that will connect the 10 Aburrá Valley municipalities and the creation of Protected Air Zones to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Another significant progress is the technical approval of the Medellín Climate Action Plan by the C40-Cities Climate Leadership Group which outlines the road we need to follow to become a carbon neutral city by 2050. This achievement makes it the first in the country to have the endorsement of this city network.

In addition, the local leader highlighted the creation of programs on a city lever, “What for? To invest in education, to sign the climate action plans signed at the begining of the pandemic, to create development plans, to turn our cities into Ecocities and to change education”

Therefore, the Software Valley strategy brings opportunities to all young people, with the delivery of scholarships, guaranteeing free public university education, building universities dedicated to training and research in areas of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and with the delivery of computers to children in the city, to strengthen a knowledge-based economy.

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Medellín’s internationalization attracts more foreign investment and projects the generations of new jobs

Medellín’s transformation remains a protagonist on world stages. This has highlighted the attraction of national and international events, foreign investment and the generation of jobs for the new economy of the Software Valley in the internationalization balance of the last year, presented by the Agency for Cooperation and Investment ACI Medellín, the Bureau of Medellín and Antioquia, Plaza Mayor and Ruta N, articulated with the Mayor’s Office of Medellín.

ACI Medellin reported a total of 385 million dollars in foreign investment projects and cooperation resources in 2020. In addition, 32 new national and international events, which will generate $ 61,000 million, will be held in the city in the next three years and 31 companies from ten different countries settled in the CT+i ecosystem through Ruta N.

The capital of Antioquia exceeded 381 million dollars in foreign investment achieved with the installation of foreign companies and reinvestments. In international cooperation, the ACI Medellín reported five million dollars for local projects, managed donations of medical supplies to attend the pandemic from 11 countries around the world and nominated the city for international awards, four of them awarded in culture and attractiveness.

“In 2021 we have a commitment to the city and now, more than ever, to the entire region, thanks to our new agreements with the Government of Antioquia, Grupo EPM, the Metropolitan Area and all our strategic allies to attract investment and cooperation, which will allow us to continue transforming and leading the change to a sustainable and inclusive society ”, mentioned the executive director of ACI Medellín, Eleonora Betancur.

Meeting tourism remained one of the main generators of employment and business. The Great Bureau of Medellín reported that 97% of the events that were to take place in the last year were successfully rescheduled for the next three years, impacting the city’s economy by more than $ 77,000 million. In addition, 32 contests were attracted to be organized between 2021 and 2023, leaving the economy more than $ 60,000 million.

Regarding its own and traditional events, Plaza Mayor highlighted the continuity of Maridaje, Expoartesano, Expofinca, Trafic Latinoamérica, among others, with more than 60 international speakers. Due to the restrictions caused by the pandemic, these were all carried out in hybrid and virtual formats, which did not prevent the city from continuing to position itself as a hub for academic and business meetings for Latin America.

“All these achievements are the result of the work of the Public Cluster in order to make Medellín a hub for innovation and events, and an attractive destination for foreign investment. Today, the eyes of the world are on our city, it was a difficult year, but we still had the ability to attract companies and resources for development. This significantly impacts our economic reactivation and will promote very good scenarios for the future, ”said the Secretary of Economic Development, Alejandro Arias García.

Additionally, the pre-feasibility study was signed for the construction of the Plaza Mayor hotel, a milestone that will impact the well-being of citizens and tourists, and will make the city and its convention center more attractive.

The Local Administration highlighted efforts made by Ruta N in the consolidation of a world-class science, technology and innovation ecosystem. Still during the pandemic, 31 companies from 10 countries settled in the city, generating 1,514 quality jobs. These technology-based organizations with worldwide operations are committed to growing for Latin America from Medellín and its Software Valley.

Ruta N registers a total of 370 companies from 32 countries that have established themselves in the Medellín CT+i ecosystem since 2012 and that have generated more than 10,800 jobs in the IT industry.

Also, Medellín’s participation in the G20 Alliance of Smart Cities is highlighted, which seeks to propose technological solutions for challenges in mobility, environment and security, among others. This was obtained thanks to the work of the Center Affiliated to the World Economic Forum for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Colombia, turning the capital of Antioquia into one of the six Latin American cities in this group.

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Cuáles ciudades del mundo son hermanas de Medellín y para qué

Which cities in the world are Medellín’s sisters and why?

Between 1981 and 2019, Medellín strengthened its ties with 27 cities in the world. Latin America, the United States, Spain and Asia are part of the list of regions and countries with which the city seeks to project itself as a tourist destination and forge alliances that allow it to increase direct foreign investment and attract international cooperation resources.

For 40 years, the Paisa capital has embarked on a crusade to strengthen ties with cities around the world. It will change the strategy. 5 memorandums and cooperation agreements were signed by the city in 2020.

Conceived as a bilateral declaration to work on a joint agenda, twinning plays a crucial role in the international projection of the city. What is the origin of this figure? What benefits does it bring to the municipality? and how much money does it cost?

In dialogue with EL COLOMBIANO, several actors who lead this task explained some of the keys to understanding its advantages and disadvantages.

Eleonora Betancur González, executive director of the Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellín and the Metropolitan Area (ACI), explains that the twinning strategy is a tool that dates back to the 1940s, when the Second World War was ending; several cities began to forge alliances and overcome the devastation of the conflict.

“Just as States have exchange mechanisms, cities have also claimed that need to have dialogue without the intermediation of the national State. A proper and particular dialogue between cities ”, explains Betancur.

According to the director, although at the global level the strategy dates from approximately 1947, in the case of Medellín it would arrive almost three and a half decades later, in 1981.

During May of that year, the then mayor José Jaime Nicholls issued Decree 297, with which he formalized a twinning with the city of Fort Lauderdale, in the United States. As appears in the records, that twinning had the goal of strengthening the capacity of local emergency agencies in responding to fires.

However, it would take until 1998, some 27 years later, for the city to resume this strategy.

Projection abroad

Twinning has been key to promoting Medellín’s internationalization strategy, a task that seeks to attract resources to support social programs and strengthen the regional economy.

The main indicator used by ACI Medellín to illustrate the success of this work is the return on investment, which compares the amount of resources used to promote these relationships with the amount of resources attracted.

In the case of national and foreign investment, for example, last year the agency calculated 381.1 million dollars attracted; and for cooperation, 4.9 million dollars.

Considering that the agency had a budget close to 5,300 million pesos last year, the data indicates that, for every peso invested in these relationships, the city received a return of 261 pesos in foreign investment.

In the case of international cooperation, for each peso invested, the city received 7 pesos.

Sandra Howard Taylor, executive director of the Bureau of Medellín, believes that twinning facilitates the development of territories and enhances sectors of the economy where there are affinities, such as tourism.

“Regarding tourism, twinning can be associated with interesting market niches for us. These cultural ties and affinities can lead to a fluid exchange of people from one destination to another, ”says Howard Taylor.

According to the Director of the Bureau, twinning and other international agreements allow the city to position itself as a relevant tourist and investment destination in other countries.

“They allow us to show a more progressive, innovative and fertile city for business generation. This creates confidence for entrepreneurs and investors and a better understanding of the city as a destination,” adds Howard.

Along with tourism, there are also other sectors of the economy and the public sector that have benefited from these relationships.

For example, according to the director of the ACI Medellín, one of the success stories is the twinning signed with Bilbao in 1998.

At the institutional level, one of the legacies of this alliance was the joint work on issues with a gender perspective, mainly in the administrative strengthening of the Secretariat for Women after its creation.

Likewise, in terms of urban planning, the Bilbao city council has provided advice to the city to replicate successful interventions.

In this case, another important example appears in the award-winning project Parques del Río, which in several components of its planning was influenced by the experience of a similar intervention developed in the Bilbao river.

Apart from Spain, other successful experiences include free scholarships that have benefited officials to train in local government and development issues.

In addition, in the case of the twinning with Fort Lauderdale, which will turn 40, the city fire department still receives advice.

Although in general terms the strategy can be very positive, Eleonora Betancur states that the tendency of main cities around the world consists in prioritizing relationships that include more concrete work plans.

Although twinning shows the intention of two or more cities to work together, these alliances need to be carefully cultivated and translated into concrete work plans, explains Betancur.

“The idea is not to sign just for the sake of signing, because sometimes they simply remain as goodwill intentions. Rather than signing, the task is to ensure that those that already exist have life, follow-up and reinforcement ”, says Betancur, who adds that there are other figures“ less eloquent, but more operative ”, as is the case of memorandums of understanding and cooperation agreements.

Although the signing of new twinnings in the coming years is not ruled out, Betancur anticipates that the city’s priority will be to strengthen the ties that already exist and seek work plans with cities that are in tune with the goals of the latest development plan.

Seeking alliances to attract technology firms and finding educational opportunities within the framework of the software valley strategy will be some of the goals.

Goals for 2021

During this year, ACI Medellín seeks to attract more resources to strengthen social programs and promote the regional economy. In terms of international cooperation, the agency will seek to encourage the arrival of 7.5 million dollars, and in terms of foreign investment, it will seek to attract 140 million dollars.

As Eleonora Betancur, director of ACI Medellín, explained, the focus during the next few years will be to strengthen alliances through memorandums of understanding and cooperation agreements. In 2020, the city signed at least 5 agreements of this type.

Within the group of cities that are projected as the most attractive, Betancur highlighted Boston (United States), with which it is intended to attract business and enhance the Software Valley Strategy.

A NEW APPROACH

Eleonora Betancur, director of the ACI Medellín, explains that, despite its success, twinning has become a strategy whose use is less frequent between cities around the world. Criticized for not turning into concrete work plans, figures such as memorandums of understanding and cooperation agreements are projected more attractive. As she explained, in the case of Medellín, unlike twinning, these types of new agreements can be structured in a more agile way, since they do not require the approval of the Council. “From now on, although we do not rule it out, the be will be not to sign so many twinning arrangements, but rather agreements that lead to more practical work plans,” said the director Betancur, for whose priority is strengthening ties with cities that allow achieving the goals of the Development Plan.

Note prepared by El Colombiano

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La ACI Medellín se une a EPM para atraer cooperación para el desarrollo

ACI Medellín joins EPM to attract cooperation for development

In order to strengthen the internationalization strategy, the Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellin and the Metropolitan Area – ACI Medellín and EPM created an alliance to promote the attraction of international cooperation for Medellín and its Metropolitan Area, especially in the lines prioritized by EPM: waste management, sustainable mobility and renewable energy.

“This alliance occurs for many reasons, EPM is a partner of the Agency, both organizations promote the sustainable development of the city-region and ACI Medellín will contribute all its experience to promote EPM’s internationalization process,” said Natalia Currea, director of Knowledge and Innovation of the ACI Medellín

All this will catapult the goals of the city’s Development Plan related to the possibility of transforming Medellín into a cutting-edge city, environmentally and socially sustainable, competitive in the global economy and equitable in its territories.

This union will make it possible to join technical, human and financial efforts for knowledge transfer in terms of cooperation and management capacity, led by ACI Medellín, that support a national and international strategic relationship and the leverage of EPM projects.

The goals of this agreement are: to implement a knowledge transfer program in international cooperation management by ACI Medellín to the Cooperation for Business Development Direction of EPM, to develop a portfolio of strategic and viable projects for management of international cooperation, based on its areas of strategic action and define a relationship route with the Official Development Assistance (ODA) for the direction of cooperation for the development of EPM’s businesses.

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Resilient Cities Network focuses its new city-led entity on strengthening cities capacity to recover from COVID-19 and build a safe and equitable world

(Singapore, September 23, 2020) – As continued resilient recovery remains a priority in cities around the world, the global community represented by Resilient Cities Network came together virtually. The organization introduced the new members of its Board of Directors and Global Steering Committee. With cities still battling the unprecedented global pandemic and the compound risks of climate change and social inequity the agenda discussed by the core executive team as well as the Network alumni community was particularly relevant, reviewing and discussing the strategic direction of the Network for 2021-2023.

During the meeting, Lauren Sorkin, Executive Director of the Network, presented Daniel Stander, Private Sector Representative to the United Nations, Naina Batra, Chairwoman and CEO, Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN), Sylvester Turner, Mayor of Houston, and Sameh Wahba, Global Director of Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience, and Land Global Practice, World Bank as new appointees for the Board of Directors. Also, the network’s Global Steering Committee was confirmed. It will be headed by co-chairs Belfast, represented by Grainia Long, Commissioner for Resilience, and Christchurch, represented by Mike Gillooly, Chief Resilience Officer, and comprised of Buenos Aires, Salvador, Pune, Cape Town, Kigali, Rotterdam, San Francisco, and Houston.

“The reach, achievements, and vision of the Resilient Cities Network are impressive. Speaking on behalf of the Board of Directors, I can say that we feel deeply inspired by the commitment of the organization to support the critical needs of vulnerable communities by implementing projects that address multiple shocks and stresses and are improving the lives of people.” Sylvester Turner, Chair of the Board of Directors and Mayor of Houston.

Resilient Cities Network co-creates urban solutions to address complex and interrelated urban challenges, so that cities and communities thrive. The Network will focus on three priorities to be delivered through programs of collective action with member cities during the next two years through a holistic resilience approach. It continues to pursue a resilient recovery to reinforce equity, to promote private-public partnerships, and foster stronger local economies. Also, cities need to be prepared to further build climate resilience, not only to protect citizens from water-related challenges but also to strengthen the capacity of communities to cope with the effects of climate change. The third priority is the promotion of circular economies through indigenous and technological solutions to rapidly and sensibly enhance waste management and food systems.

“Now more than ever building city resilience makes sense. Working with cities to create prosperous, equitable, and safe urban environments while prioritizing access to healthcare for vulnerable populations is a key driver for us. We are committed to growing the practice of urban resilience across the globe in a way that it accrues social, economic, and political capital, making our cities thrive. At this point, we feel proud of the refreshed visual identity and of our new website and logo, which better represent the values and commitment of the Network.” Grainia Long, co-chair of the Global Steering Committee, Commissioner for Resilience, Belfast.

Empowered by the knowledge and expertise of resilience practitioners and governments, the Network is activating projects to deliver local benefits and collective impact that benefit over 220 million citizens around the globe, 50 million of them living under vulnerable conditions.

As a city-led Network, the organization works together with Chief Resilience Officers, mobilizing communities, city governments, urban practitioners, and partners in the pursuit of safe and equitable urban societies. “We are grateful to both the Board of Directors and the Global Steering Committee for their active engagement, advice, and commitment. Working with them, we feel empowered to build on the valuable legacy from which Resilient Cities Network emerges. We have in our hands a promising opportunity to enhance the quality of life, improve access to infrastructure, and build a healthier and more sustainable future for all.” said Lauren N. Sorkin, Executive Director.

About Resilient Cities Network

Resilient Cities Network is a global city-led nonprofit organization that brings together knowledge, practice, partnerships, and funding to empower cities to help them build a safe, equitable and sustainable future for all. The Network integrates the combined effort of urban practitioners, city governments, and communities in a collective, comprehensive, and well-coordinated call-to-action to deliver urban impact-driven resilience solutions. For more information visit, www.resilientcitiesnetwork.org.

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Medellín recibe donación de Japón para ayudar a la prevención del coronavirus

Medellín receives donation from Japan to help prevent coronavirus

Medellín received surgical masks, antibacterial gel, gloves, alcohol and facial masks from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency -JICA, in a donation that seeks to help in the prevention of coronavirus in the city.

Supplies will be directed to prison centers, care sites for the elderly and the homeless community, as well as to the hospital network.

This support was achieved thanks to the city’s social manager, Diana Osorio, who in 2016 was a fellow of an academic program of JICA titled: Sustainable Rural Development through life improvement approach for Latin America.

Due to this academic history, the Social Manager had an approach with the Japanese agency regarding the management of these resources, which will improve quality of life in the most vulnerable communities.

This contribution is a result of the mission that the City of Medellín has undertaken with public partners around the world in search of support to better address the crisis generated by the pandemic.

“This important donation includes 15,000 elements that will help us protect people who are on the front lines attending vulnerable communities in Medellín. This includes staff working in hospitals, detention centers, care centers for the homeless and care centers for the elderly, among others,” said the Social Manager.

The Executive Director of ACI Medellín, Eleonora Betancur, said that “cooperation with Japan has a history of good experiences, thanks to the efforts developed jointly through technical actions, which is why this new achievement is also a very important event to strengthen ties with this country that has so much to contribute to the development of the city and the region”.

This aid adds to those received in recent months by the governments of Korea, China and the United Arab Emirates to deal with the pandemic and to better manage the crisis affecting the entire world.

The good relations that Medellín has built with different countries over time now allow it to receive this kind of support in one of the most crucial moments of its history.

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Cooperation in times of pandemic breaks borders

The good relations that Medellín has built with different countries and cities over time, allow it to better address the economic and health crisis created by COVID-19. Thousands of deaths and millions infected have forced local and national governments to activate their bonds of friendship in the world with the sole aim of safeguarding the life and integrity of people.

Thousands of medical utensils and equipment for the care of critically ill patients have arrived in Medellín from different parts of the world.

Faced with this critical situation, few alternatives emerge as a light of relief to weigh the social and economic effects that all continents are facing. Although borders of countries have been closed for tourism or business, another very important door has been opened with more stregnth: international cooperation.

ACI Medellín, together with local and national partners from the public and private sectors, has undertaken an important mission for the management of resources to better address the health crisis.

This type of support, commonly known as Technical Cooperation, facilitates the resolution of common problems through exchange of knowledge and donation.

So far the city has received 3,000 protective suits from the municipal government of Seoul, South Korea; and 100,000 quick tests for Covid-19, 300,000 gloves, 30,000 masks, 10,000 shoe protectors, 3,000 disinfectants and 2,000 food packets, from the United Arab Emirates.

In addition, other donations from:

  • Chongqing (China): 940 protective suits, 1,000 N95 masks, 990 surgical gowns and 10,000 surgical masks.
  • Shanghai (China): 1,000 gloves and 100 surgical gowns.
  • Chuncheon (Korea): protective suits and masks.
  • Grenergy Company (Spain): 50,000 masks.

Likewise, since the beginning of the pandemic, approaches have been made with other governments and international entities to request their support on different fronts:

  • For medical supplies such as mechanical ventilators, beds for sintensive care units – ICUs; or reagents and strips for sample taking: Seoul and Chuncheon – South Korea, Wuhan, Chongqing – China, Embassy of Colombia in China, Embassy of Russia in Colombia and of Colombia in Russia, Embassy of the United Arab Emirates.
  • For support on technology tools versus platforms to tackle COVID-19: Government of Singapore and Embassy of Colombia in Singapore.
  • For food aid: Government of Barcelona, United Nations World Food Programme.
  • For scientific cooperation, clinical trials and vaccine: Contact with Moderna, UK Embassy in Colombia – Jenner Institute, Oxford University, England.

Governments, businesses and individuals have united since the beginning of the pandemic around a common goal: protecting life.

Finally, the private sector, international investors and natural persons have shown their commitment to the city:

  • MABE (Mexican multinational), donated 200 antifluid booths for medical personnel.
  • The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), through a cooperation agreement with the Mayor’s Office of Medellín, allocated $346 million for the payment of monetary contributions to 450 families of migrant, refugee and host populations. UNHCR also donated essential supplies to the most vulnerable households and shelters in the city.
  • Donatón Medellín: ACI Medellín achieved $156 million pesos for medical supplies. Among the main donors are Grupo EMI, Grupo Réditos and Globant.
  • POMA (French company): provided the city with vehicles to transport food and medical equipment.
  • Volunteer Doctor: through the Sos Paisa network for antioquians who are abroad, Carlos Alviar Restrepo’s visit was accomplished; director of the ICU for cardiology at the Bellevue Hospital Center in New York, who came to give technical advise from his experience and work in ICUs in the United States.

The effort involved in management with governments and companies is not equated with the satisfaction of fulfilling the duty of caring for the people of the city and ensuring that, in the midst of such a complex situation, we are vigilant to strengthen alliances within and outside the city for our wellbeing.

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