<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>King Felipe VI chaired yesterday Thursday in Madrid the first Meeting of Ibero-American Cities, an event organized by the Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities (UCCI) and the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB) to reflect on global challenges with a local vision, recognizing the role of cities as agents of change and their necessary impact on global governance.</strong></h4> During his speech, the Monarch expressed his condolences, “in these moments of desolation,” to the families and “to all those affected by this terrible and catastrophic DANA that has devastated so many towns and places in our country.” “We join them in their pain, as we all must, administrations, institutions and civil society throughout Spain,” he continued. The King then acknowledged “the efforts of the Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities (UCCI) and the SEGIB, who have worked so hard to make this meeting possible,” and stated that “in this 21st century, cities have become true agents of change that must address increasingly complex challenges, largely due to globalization, population growth and the speed of technological advances.” “Hence the importance of this meeting, in which you address issues such as human mobility or innovation, or topics such as sustainable financing, sustainable urban transition or security; areas whose management has a direct impact on the quality of life of citizens and on the sustainable development of our cities,” he added. The meeting, held at the NH Collection Madrid Eurobuilding Hotel and which began on Thursday and concluded on Friday, brought together cities, international organizations, diplomatic delegations, city networks, development banks, the business sector, representatives of academia and think tanks to jointly address the challenges and opportunities facing cities in the 21st century. In addition to the King, the Ibero-American Secretary General, Andrés Allamand; the Minister for Equality, Ana Redondo; and the mayors of several Ibero-American cities participated in the event: Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida; Mayor of Montevideo, Mauricio Zunnino; Mayor of Santo Domingo, Carolina Mejía; Head of Government of the City of Buenos Aires, Jorge Macri; Councillor General of Andorra la Vella, Sergi González; Mayor of Asunción, Óscar Rodríguez; Mayor of Quito, Pabel Muñoz; the Deputy Mayor of Lima, Renzo Andrés Reggiardo, as well as the Secretary General of the UCCI, Almudena Maíllo. “The importance of the first Ibero-American Cities Meeting lies not only in its ability to bring together local leaders, but also in its multi-stakeholder and multi-level approach, which extends to international organizations, diplomatic delegations, city networks, development banks, the business sector, academic representatives and think tanks,” the organizers stressed. Among the topics discussed during the two days, the access to financing that cities need for the development of their infrastructures, the opportunities in promoting entrepreneurship - the five cities with the most powerful ecosystems for entrepreneurship in Latin America are part of this network - and the challenges surrounding security, one of the main problems affecting large cities, especially those in Latin America and the Caribbean, were highlighted. The event culminated with the signing of the "Madrid Declaration: the voice of mayors at the Ibero-American Summit", a document that will be submitted to the Heads of State and Government at the XXIX Ibero-American Summit to be held in Cuenca, Ecuador, from November 12 to 15, 2024. This declaration will reflect the concerns of the major Ibero-American cities at the regional level and will summarize the main agreements, reflections and conclusions of the event.
