Twenty-five years ago, we were the most violent city in the world. Today, we are a benchmark for transformation. Our people took control of their territories and, thanks to a joint effort among all sectors of society, including organizations such as ACI, we have achieved a city that, despite its many challenges, we are proud of.
Medellín is the protagonist of a great transformation process. We acknowledge our past, but we are looking to the future with conviction. We know we’ve come a long way, but above all, we are aware that much remains to be done. We had to live through one of Colombia’s largest migrations from the countryside to the city, as well as violence few places in the world have experienced. But that story is what made us strong and it is what has allowed us to build our present and to dream of a future in which all our people have the necessary guarantees for a happy life.
We are a city of infinite possibilities, a city that reaffirms its commitment to go far and beyond together with the participation of citizens, public institutions, private companies and universities. Thanks to institutions such as the Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellín, ACI, we have created bridges; we have built relationships; we have managed processes of cooperation to support the implementation of the city’s development plan and we have acknowledged our own story of hope, strength and resilience.
Today we continue working to strive for a Medellín that is safe, competitive, innovative, sustainable and suitable for business, and to achieve this, we are working on a model of governance based on citizen trust. A city we can trust, is a city that works, because everyone gives their best and receives what they expect. During this process, we have built a long-term vision, we take risks and transform our territories for the welfare of the people.
We are essentially trying to positively impact the lives of communities. That’s why we intend to carry out the “Plan Maestro del Centro” (Master Plan for the city’s Downtown), which has fundamental environmental and urban components in order to recover this major city zone. Also, the “Metrocable Picacho” project will allow us to connect the population of the northeastern hills to the rest of the city in less time and far cheaper than today. In addition, our comprehensive security and coexistence strategy allows us to guarantee the tranquility of our people. In this endeavor, we aggregate the efforts we have made in education and employment such as the 1,441 children who were outside the school system and have now been re-enrolled; also, we will award 10,000 higher education scholarships, an offer created together with the private sector to ensure its relevance. We have also taken the institutional employment needs to the neighborhoods of the city, benefiting more than 70,000 people.
In Medellín, we are trying to be an engine that boosts Colombia’s growth and we expect that by walking together, as we have done during these first 15 years of ACI, we will continue improving the human development index of our citizens. This joint effort is due to the union of everyone’s wills, as well as, because of the visit of representatives and international executives who have lived and felt our change and have share it with the world.
“If we have a city we can trust, we have a city that works, because everyone gives their best and receives what they expect.”
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