This morning, the Mayor of Bogotá, Claudia López met with the British Ambassador to Colombia, George Hodgson, and the head of implementation for Latin America of the UKAID - C40 program, Sarah Arboleda, to launch the Climate Action Implementation Program, UKAID CAI (Climate Action Implementation). This program will be developed thanks to a partnership between Bogotá and the C40 mayors’ network as part of the Urban Climate Action Program, which is funded by the UK Government.
Thanks to the UKAID CAI initiative, two projects from the Bogotá Climate Action Plan related to transportation will be implemented, taking into account that this sector emits about 43% of greenhouse gases in the Colombian capital. The investment to be made is approximately one million dollars, which will be distributed with 50% allocated to for technical assistance and 50% to in-kind investment to be executed within three years.
The two transport sector mitigation actions that will receive UKAID CAI investment will be the formulation of the city's pedestrianization policy, to promote active and sustainable mobility; and the training of more than 200 female electric bus drivers who work for the 'La Rolita' public transport operator.
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At the launch, the Mayor of Bogotá highlighted the importance of the UK's cooperation in various District projects related to climate action, with cooperation in the bike sharing system, the structuring of the Regional Mobility Agency, and assistance given to the vital neighborhoods project, among many others. "With the same investment we have multiple commitments to fulfill and it is through cooperation with important partners such as the United Kingdom and C40 that we are already seeing the results; we are building a city with more opportunities, greater climate action, and more green jobs," said the Mayor.
Thanks to these actions, the C40 mayors’ network and the Government of the United Kingdom have become Bogotá's most important strategic allies in sustainability and mobility issues. Through this new alliance, the Colombian capital will benefit from the knowledge of global experts and will learn from successful and innovative cases in other cities.
In response to this, the British Ambassador to Colombia, George Hodgson ratified the UK's commitment to and support for sustainability initiatives developed in the Colombian capital, "Bogotá is a very important ally for us and we have several interests in common, a few days ago we accompanied the launch of the Bike Sharing System and now we are going for more. The translation of planning into action is that important element of this cooperation; we can already say that we are aligned on the same path for climate action," he said.
UKAID CAI is supported and funded by the UK government and will work in 15 cities in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia to implement high-impact priority actions to strengthen their climate action plans. In the case of Latin America, the program will provide comprehensive technical assistance and capacity building support in Bogotá, Medellin, Lima, Guadalajara, and Mexico City.
Below, a tweet from the mayor Claudia López thanking the UK ambassador and the representatives of C40 for their collaboration:
Gracias a @HodgsonGeorge, embajador de Reino Unido en Colombia, y a Sarah Arboleda, jefe de implementación para América Latina del programa UKAID-C40, por hacernos participes del lanzamiento del Programa de Implementación de Acción Climática, UKAID CAID. pic.twitter.com/gk93MGldWZ
— Claudia López Hernández (@ClaudiaLopez) November 1, 2022
Regarding the initiatives to be supported by the Climate Action Implementation Program, Cristina Argudo, Acting Deputy Regional Director for C40 in Latin America, highlighted that these are another example of the city's commitment to climate action. "It is a pleasure for us to be able to collaborate on these projects, especially because Bogotá is one of our star cities due to the fact that it is demonstrating that it is taking action, it is an example of leadership in the region in terms of sustainable development with projects such as the Care Blocks and La Rolita," she added.
Between 2018 and 2021everal C40 cities in Latin America completed Climate Action Plans (CAPs) that outline actions and processes for cities to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and improve climate resilience.
In the case of Bogotá, the Climate Action Plan is based on 30 major mitigation and adaptation actions, with a 30-year vision to reduce emissions by 15 percent by 2024 and 50 percent by 2030, and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Some of the clear objectives integrated in the CAP include increasing green areas, implementing nature-based solutions, promoting environmentally responsible production and consumption, sustainable mobility, and changing habits.
C40 is a network of mayors from nearly 100 of the world's leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent actions needed right now to address the climate crisis.
