- The Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB) and the Union of Ibero-American Capitals (UCCI) are established within the framework of the XXIX. Organize the new meeting of Ibero-American cities at the summit in Ecuador.
- In this forum, the UCCI cities will discuss issues addressed at the Summit of Heads of State of the Ibero-American Conference.
- The General Assembly also decides to promote bilingualism in the region and to declare 2024 the Year of the Portuguese Language.
- In his speech, UCCI Co-President and Mayor of Madrid Martínez-Almeida referred to the common search for the best strategies to offer the best services, grow economically, reduce environmental impact and improve urban mobility.
São Paulo, November 21, 2023.- Today the Brazilian city of São Paulo hosted the XX. General Assembly of the Union of Ibero-American Capitals, a forum attended by 20 delegations from member cities and attended by the Mayor of Madrid and Co-President of the Union of Ibero-American Capitals, José Luis-Martínez-Almeida; the deputy mayor of the city of Lima, Renzo Andrés Reggiardo, who held the co-presidency of the UCCI in 2023; the mayor of Sao Paulo, Ricardo Nunes; the Secretary of International Relations of São Pãulo, Marta Suplicy, and the municipal officials of Bogotá, Claudia López; Cadiz, Bruno García de León; Lisbon, Carlos Moedas and San José de Costa Rica, Johnny Araya. Also present were elected officials and directors from the cities of Montevideo, San Juan de Puerto Rico, Guatemala City, San Salvador, Buenos Aires, Tegucigalpa, Sucre, Santo Domingo and Rio de Janeiro; Havana, Asuncion, Brasilia and Mexico City.
Under the motto “Ibero-America: a diverse region for a future of shared prosperity”, the XX. General Assembly decided on a milestone that will shape the future of the capitals of Ibero-America: the creation of the Ibero-American Meeting of Cities. This meeting will take place institutionally and financially within the framework of the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Ibero-American Conference and will take place in parallel with its agenda. The conclusions and agreements adopted by the UCCI cities in this forum will be presented to the conference in order to give a voice to communalism and strengthen the presence of the UCCI cities at the international level.
This historic agreement, concluded in 2024 at the XXIX. Summit of Heads of State and Government in Ecuador will consolidate the UCCI as the main forum of cities in the Ibero-American region, promoting networking, exchange of experiences and locally focused projects, governance and institutional strengthening of the region’s cities, as Martínez-Almeida explained.
In addition, the co-president of the UCCI, Martínez-Almeida, has highlighted the need to strengthen the international action of the UCCI and to build a cooperation network that extends from Madrid to every corner of our countries. and that allows us to share resources, knowledge and, above all, visions of a common future.” The mayor of Madrid also sent a message to cities to have an open and pluralistic dialogue, opting for “a regional unity, that strengthens our governments, promotes economic growth and promotes social cohesion.”
For his part, the Secretary General of the SEGIB, Andrés Allamand, who was invited to the opening of the meeting, explained: “We, from the UCCI and the SEGIB, have been working on the design of a new space based on the structure you have created,” to the formulation to promote public policy proposals and resolutions for consideration by Heads of State and Government gathered at the Ibero-American Summits.”
The Secretary General of the UCCI, Almudena Maíllo, invited the mayors and representatives of the delegations to bet resolutely on the links that make up the character of this region: its Ibero-American cultural identity, its traditions and its way of enjoying life.
A SHARED FUTURE
Maíllo said: “It is time to look to the future, to put more energy into entrepreneurship, talent and innovation and to address the problems that always concern cities, but from an innovative vision and in alliance with the many other public and “private” companies.” The UCCI will seek new sources of financing through public-private collaboration, strengthen its presence on the international agenda and be an organization in which people and values are represented
The Democrats are the core of their raison d’être. Likewise, Maíllo explained, the UCCI will address issues such as urban infrastructure, tourism, gastronomy, security and competitiveness of cities, as well as entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial talent. Dialogue and agreement on agendas will also be pillars of the common future of the Ibero-American capitals.
2024: YEAR OF THE PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE
The Assembly adopted another important agreement aimed at promoting bilingualism and strengthening the role of the two official languages of the Ibero-American region, spoken by 800 million people around the world. For this reason, the delegations present have decided to declare 2024 the Year of the Portuguese Language and to organize events of various kinds focusing on Portuguese in the coming months. This agreement was warmly welcomed by the Portuguese-speaking cities of Lisbon, Brasilia, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
The General Assembly also decided that the cities of San Salvador and São Paulo, together with Madrid, will hold the co-presidency of the UCCI for the next two years, and there was a debate about the role of capitals and cities and the criteria for enabling the UCCI their opening and expansion in the coming years.