On Thursday, Mayor Claudia López inaugurated Women Deliver 2023, the most important regional gender and women's conference in the world, stating, "Welcome to Bogotá! Thank you very much for joining us, and a thousand thanks to Women Deliver for choosing Bogotá as the venue for their gathering in the Americas."
For two days (June 29th and 30th), Bogotá gather together researchers, academics, women from the social movement, and citizens to discuss the future of care, the feminization of politics, sexual and reproductive rights, and cultural transformation for the prevention of gender-based violence.
Women Deliver is one of the leading global organizations advocating for the rights of girls and women. Since 2007, it has brought together a wide range of multisectoral actors from around the world to share ideas, knowledge, and experiences on care, the elimination of gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive rights, and feminism.
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During the opening ceremony, Mayor López engaged in a conversation with renowned economist Mariana Mazzucato, Professor of Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London, discussing capitalism, women, feminism, and care as a cornerstone of social innovation and public policy for the economic and cultural transformation of contemporary societies.
In this tweet, the mayor, Claudia López, referred to the panel she shared with economist Marian Mazzucato:
Invitamos a @MazzucatoM a compartir nuestra reflexión sobre el capitalismo: primero cuidar a las personas para tener un sentido de apropiación colectiva, luego cuidar la democracia para tener ciudadanos con derechos y deberes que se sienten apropiados de un patrimonio y un futuro… pic.twitter.com/X5wb4hGBma
— Claudia López Hernández (@ClaudiaLopez) June 29, 2023
"Mariana, thank you for joining us to reflect on the role of women, care, feminism, and how to create shared responsibility in the face of unpaid care work to redistribute it, free up time, and provide opportunities," expressed the Mayor.
During the conversation, López and Mazzucato reflected on capitalism. The Mayor of Bogotá emphasized the care of people to achieve a sense of collective ownership and, subsequently, to care for democracy, ensuring that citizens have rights and responsibilities and feel a sense of ownership over a common heritage and future. "In this way, democracies will take care of the planet," she added.
Regarding this, Mazzucato expressed that care will lead the world to transform capitalism into a more inclusive, sustainable, and feminist order that respects women's sexual and reproductive rights. It is a system that involves both the public and private sectors.
At the end of the conversation, the Mayor expressed her gratitude to Mazzucato for highlighting the way Bogotá has placed the vision of care at the center of the economy.
"What you are doing is bringing all sectors to the government level and working together on a care mission," highlighted Mariana Mazzucato, an Italian-born professor.
During the event's opening, Kathleen Sherwin, a member of the Women Deliver Board, also participated, stating that regional conferences are a new key component of the 2023 vision. She emphasized the importance of creating regional spaces to ensure that the issues that truly matter, those that are community-focused and require visibility, are presented and brought to a much wider community of decision-makers and advocates.
Similarly, Carmen Barroso, another member of the Women Deliver Board, expressed the need for a feminist future. "Our countries and many others around the world are facing extreme difficulties in building a fairer society, and this will not be possible without a feminist vision," she commented.
The senior executive expressed gratitude for the commitment of Mayor Claudia López in organizing the regional conference for the Americas. She stated, "Thanks to the Mayor's commitment, it is a pleasure to share and learn from this plural movement we have in our continent because here we can witness the extraordinary progress in the field of care."
Key Panel: Women Mayors in Power and the Feminization of Politics
Subsequently, the district mayor participated in the opening panel titled "Women Mayors in Power and the Feminization of Politics" with the mayor of Montevideo, Carolina Cosse, moderated by the founder of Mexico's 'Laboratorio para la Ciudad,' Gabriela Gómez-Mont.
During the panel, the mayors shared their experiences, achievements, knowledge, and challenges regarding gender equality, women's empowerment, leadership, and making gender a central focus in governance.
Cosse acknowledged that her life in the public and political sphere is a result of Uruguay's strong public education system. She stated, "Nothing starts with an individual; one is the result of things that happened before. In my country, there is a very strong public education system, and I am a product of that." She mentioned her affiliation with the Frente Amplio, a progressive, democratic, and popular political force that represents a unity process of the Uruguayan people. She said, "I belong to the Frente Amplio, and what I have done is work with generous people."
She highlighted that the political and social needs of women in her country led her to embrace a feminist approach. She stated, "I learned to be a feminist," and added, "This is the century of collective action. Building is difficult, but dismantling is very easy. We must never stop building hope and a legacy for organizations to continue because the feminization of politics is not just about putting certain topics at the center but being actively engaged."
In her turn, Mayor Claudia López shared that as an investigative journalist, she uncovered links between certain politicians and paramilitary forces, which made her a target of threats and intimidation. This experience compelled her to venture more strongly into the political sphere. She said, "So I asked myself, what else do I need to do? Well, I have to help remove those people from politics."
Regarding her education in feminism and diversity, Mayor López commented that many people have contributed to her learning process. She mentioned that the achievements in Bogotá have been possible thanks to the strength of women in each neighborhood and locality. She said, "I signed 13 agreements, one of which led to the creation of the Care System, 19 Care Blocks, 263,000 women served by this system, and over 400,000 care services provided."
The Care System is an initiative designed to recognize caregiving work, redistribute and reduce the burden of these tasks primarily borne by women. Currently, there are 19 Care Blocks that aim to contribute to gender equality by expanding and enhancing institutional care services. The goal is to reduce the overall workload for women, redistribute unpaid care work with men, and establish mechanisms for its appreciation and recognition.
must keep in mind. Caring is learned; it's not in our DNA. If women can learn it, men can too," emphasized Mayor Claudia López.
"We are always seeking key allies in each region, and we immediately realized that Mayor Claudia López and Bogotá were the perfect allies. Bogotá has established strategies to ensure care for caregivers, strengthened healthcare services to ensure barrier-free access for citizens, and also the Care Blocks, like the one we visited this morning. It is undoubtedly a leader in gender equality," stated the representative.
Case of Bogotá: Can a city reimagine itself around care?
The day concluded with the session titled "Case of Bogotá: Can a city reimagine itself around care?" In this discussion space, women members of Mayor Claudia López's city cabinet presented the different projects they are working on together to reimagine and rearticulate a mega-city around care.
Mayor Claudia López highlighted the work of the secretaries in her cabinet and emphasized how they have coordinated efforts to make Bogotá a caring city. She shared a tweet expressing her appreciation:
Infinitas gracias a mis secretarias de gabinete por el empeño y compromiso en hacer de Bogotá una ciudad cuidadora que reconoce y valora a las mujeres. Asumimos esta responsabilidad y, con esfuerzo y dedicación, estamos cumpliendo. Este equipazo de mujeres permitirá que el… pic.twitter.com/xItUzWqCaB
— Claudia López Hernández (@ClaudiaLopez) June 30, 2023
Before the event's opening in the morning, the international guests joined the Mayor on a tour of the Care Block in the Santa Fe locality. From this Community Development Center, the Mayor explained the functioning of each service that allows women in Bogotá to access more and better opportunities for flexible education, well-being, employment, empowerment, and a life free from violence.
The first day of Women Deliver 2023 concluded with a performance by the Bogotá Women's Philharmonic Orchestra, which brings women together to continue their musical education, experience orchestral performances, and showcase their excellence in various instrumental formats of orchestra and chamber music.
Here is the recording of the panel discussion "Feminization of Politics" and the session "Case of Bogotá: Can a city reimagine itself around care?":
