Endava opens its second office in Medellín

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“We believe in the talent of Latin America, in the quality of its professionals. That is why we see in Colombia the opportunity to develop first level technology centers thus, providing world-class services. The new office in Medellín is one more step on the road towards strengthening our operation at a national level, and the consolidation of highly effective interdisciplinary teams that allow the sustained growth of Endava and the countries where we operate,” said Kumail Jetha, Regional Manager for North Latin America.

The new space is located at Tinkko Co-Working Milla de Oro, the business heart of Medellín.

This commitment to the development of the region is possible thanks to the coordination of the Endava offices in Bogotá and Medellín. This exercise has resulted in the positioning of Colombia as one of the delivery units with more possibilities of gradually increasing the work team and attracting clients that require cutting-edge solutions in digital evolution, Agile transformation, and automation.

On July 27, 2018, Endava opened its doors on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol “DAVA.”

Endava’s work model has been key to the company’s sustained development since it generates solutions based on design, production, implementation and continuous work. Therefore, 89.1% of annual revenues come from clients that have been remained faithful over time. In 2014, the company received $64 million US dollars, and by 2018 the figure amounted $217.6 million US dollars, representing a growth of 36.5%.

The Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellín and the Metropolitan Area – ACI Medellin, supported the company through the articulation with public and private entities and local partners to positioning it and its successful settlement in the city.

About Endava

Endava is a technology company with more than 18 years of experience working with some of the world’s leading finance, insurance, telecommunications, media, technology, and retail companies. By providing solutions on digital evolution, agile transformation and automation, Endava helps its clients to become more attractive, receptive and efficient, supporting them from the design process until production. It has more than 5,400 employees located in offices in North America and Western Europe and delivery centers in Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia, Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Colombia.

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Do you know ACI Medellín’s Media Outlet?

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The Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellin and the Metropolitan Area -ACI Medellin- has several communication channels that will help you to keep up to date with the main news in terms of international cooperation and foreign investment; also, you will learn about Medellín’s progress in positioning and internationalization, and find out the visits of authorities and government representatives to Medellin who come to learn about our transformation process and the impact of the actions on issues related to urban planning, environment, mobility, peacebuilding, government, and economic development .

Therefore, we invite you to read and follow the activities of the Agency in the following media:

Link Magazine: It’s an annual publication specialized in international news with articles on issues related to cooperation, investment, and city positioning and its impact on the development of the quality of life of citizens.

Website: It’s a portal in both, English and Spanish, with complete information on the management of the agency, its members, current news on cooperation and investment, our networks, publications, among other public information.

Social Network:

Instagram @acimedellin: You will find graphic notes portal with the latest news on the management of ACI Medellín.

Twitter @acimedellin: It has all the news of interest on issues related to internationalization, investment, cooperation, and city positioning, taking into account what other entities and characters think and comment on Medellin, and the scope and impact of our actions.

Facebook ACI.Medellín: It’s a space for the publication of notes of interest on topics related to the management of the Agency.

Linkedin ACIMedellín: It has key contents on business management, foreign investment, city internationalization and other strategies that allow managers and executives to know the advances in investment and cooperation.

Newsletter:

Internal newsletter: It provides important information to the members of the Agency in order to keep them informed about administrative issues and current management of the Agency.

Knowledge management newsletter: It offers contents of interest on the exchange of knowledge, learning and other actions that benefit the public of ACI Medellín.

Management control newsletter: It’s a document with current information on compliance with current legal regulations and the impact on quality management of the Agency.

Newsletter: It’s made up of short notes on issues of impact and interest that seeks to inform key audiences about the current management of the Agency.

 

 

 

Illustration: freepik

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Medellín takes the lead in Latin America’s Fourth Industrial Revolution

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The capital of Antioquia will become a regional platform for the development of public policies and regulations for the implementation of technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution will put Colombia at the forefront of regulatory matters. Also, it will enable the creation of quality jobs, seize international knowledge networks, and the development of new businesses.

The joint contributions between the Presidency of Colombia and the Municipality of Medellin and the allocation of more than 3 million dollars allowed the opening of this Center.  

The World Economic Forum opens Latin America’s first Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Medellín and the fifth in the world. This will position the city as an international benchmark in the progress towards a new model of business, economic and cultural development. Medellín was chosen for its innovative culture in science, technology and entrepreneurship, and its social and economic transformation. This initiative is achieved thanks to a partnership between the National Government and the Medellín Mayor’s Office.

The Center will begin operating in the Ruta N facilities and will focus on developing public policy frameworks to accompany Colombia and the countries of the region in the implementation of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

“Colombia feels extremely proud about hosting one of the three centers for the Fourth Industrial Revolution which will be inaugurated in 2019,” said President Ivan Duque, after stating that our country became the first in Latin America and the first Spanish-speaking one, hosting a Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. He said, “This Center will have a great global and regional impact.”

He added that, indeed, Medellín will become the regional epicenter of the development of important topics such as Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things and the blockchain technology for encrypted security.

Likewise, he indicated that this Center will allow “developers, public agencies and the private sector to present projects which can be scaled worldwide.”

The Center Affiliated with the World Economic Forum for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Colombia will begin to work specifically on projects aimed at improving public-private capacities, defining the necessary regulatory frameworks to address issues like corruption, and generating opportunities for people through the implementation of technologies such as Blockchain, Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence.

“Having the allied Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Colombia and for Latin America in Medellín is a very important recognition. This is a city that has been increasing its investment in science, technology and innovation to transform its economic vocation, and supporting its institutional strength. For the new technologies can generate economic and social development, our purpose is for this Center to focus on a revolution not only on technology, but on talent,” said the mayor of Medellín, Federico Gutiérrez Zuluaga.

Although this Center will not be focused on the development of technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, nor on technological research, it will do so in structuring regulatory frameworks supported by other the centers which can carry out this type of activities.

“Colombia is taking a step forward as a leader in the Fourth Industrial Revolution with this new Centre in Medellin. They are the first to open a Centre like this in Latin America. Emerging technologies can benefit all of society, but they must be shaped. We are looking forward to working with Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Colombia to accelerate and scale what we have learned across our global network of Centres” said Murat Sonmez, Member of the Managing Board and Head of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network.

The global network of Centers for the Fourth Industrial Revolution brings together governments, leading companies, civil society and experts from around the world to jointly design and test innovative approaches applied to policies and governance of technological development. The network will develop, implement and replicate pilot projects focused on the human being that can be adopted by policymakers, legislators and regulatory bodies around the world.

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Medellín will attract American investment in Austin and Miami

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The Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellín and the Metropolitan Area – ACI Medellín, will present the reasons why Medellín is an ideal destination for foreign investment to businessmen and executives interested in investing in the city. This event will take place on Tuesday, April 30 from 1:00 pm at the Capital Factory facilities, ACL Room (701 Brazos Street, Suite 1601 – Austin, TX 78701 United States); and next May 2 at the same time in Miami, Florida, at the Consulate of Colombia located in 280 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables FL33134.

Austin, the capital of the state of Texas, stands out as one of the most enterprising cities in the United States and is home to large multinational companies.

Miami, the economic capital of Florida, headquarters important infrastructure and real estate companies.

These meetings are called Why Medellín? and have become the tools for ACI Medellín to present investors with the advantages of the city as a business destination, its investment climate, its innovation ecosystem, and its growth as a technological development hub.

Supported by entities such as Procolombia, Ruta N and Capital Factory, the meeting will show some success stories of American companies installed in Medellín: Accenture, DAPI, IBM, Team International, Astound Commerce, Owens Illinois, Stanley Black & Decker, among others.

Medellín will host the first Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Latin America, joining the network of centers in San Francisco (United States), Tokyo (Japan), Beijing (China) and Mumbai (India). 

 

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La ACI Medellín recibe reconocimiento al Mérito Cívico de la Cámara Colombo Americana

AmCham awards ACI Medellín with the Civic Merit

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The Director of ACI Medellín, Catalina Restrepo Carvajal, received the recognition from the hands of Carlos Quijano, Executive Director of the American Colombian Chamber Antioquia – Caldas Chapter. The Civic Merit highlights the fulfillment of duty towards the service and welfare of citizens.

In 2019, ACI Medellín celebrates 17 years serving the city through the attraction of foreign investment, the promotion of international cooperation and positioning it around the world.

Since the birth of the Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellín and the metropolitan area in 2002, the institution has focused on the strategic development of foreign investment, international cooperation and the positioning of the city in the world. Its tireless work has been key to generating employment, social and economic development, and improving the image of the city abroad.

Some of the aspects that AmCham took into account to grant this recognition are in agreement with the corporate values of the Agency, such as solidarity, loyalty, respect, honesty and responsibility, and with its main mission: contributing to the improvement of the quality of life of Medellín’s inhabitants from the economic and social development.

Not in vain in the last three years (2016 – 2018), ACI Medellín has achieved the attraction of foreign investment totaling 836 billion dollars; generating 8,911 jobs for the city and the metropolitan region; it has managed the attraction of 30 million dollars in international cooperation for economic and social development; and has received 503 delegations from 57 countries interested in knowing the work of Medellin in aspects related to urbanism, environment, mobility, transformation, investment, peacebuilding, government, security, and economic development.

The fact that Medellín will carry out the General Assembly of the OAS, the World Mayors Forum, the Meeting of UNESCO Learning Cities and the World Avocado Summit 2019 , as well as becoming the host for the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution for Latin America, confirm the work of the Agency towards the international projection and the transformation of Medellín.

“Thanks again! And of course, we would never have achieved this recognition without the support and trust of institutions like the American Colombian Chamber and the good results of our management,” said Catalina Restrepo Carvajal, executive director of ACI Medellín.

 

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Teleperformance es el tercer generador de empleo en Colombia

Teleperformance is the third largest employer in Colombia

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Teleperformance is a worldwide leader in customer service solutions with a presence in 80 countries, serving more than 170 markets and 25 years of experience in Colombia. They are considered as one of the five largest employers in Colombia and one of the main sources of first employment.

The company closed 2018 with 18 thousand employees in its operations centers in Bogota and Medellín. In the first half of 2019, they will open a new operations center in Medellín.

After the acquisition of Teledatos in 2010, Teleperformance began operating in Medellín and then expanded its services to Bogotá, where they work with large multinationals in the health, transportation, energy, food, services, entertainment, and other sectors.

As part of its expansion plans, they will open a new services center in Medellín during the first half of this year with the best technological infrastructure, solid energy conditions, connectivity, and human capital.

Ruta N, Procolombia and ACI Medellín have supported Teleperformance in its expansion process, developing innovation projects, attracting bilingual talent and positioning the company in the local market.

“Customer service in Colombia is one of the best in the world because of the good attitude of young Colombians. Teleperformance not only exports services, but also talent and innovation. Many of our clients use technological tools developed in their home countries which are now considered to be best practices in other offices at the international level” said Juan Carlos Hincapié, CEO of Teleperformance in Colombia.

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A Plan to Transform the Future

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There is a combination of partnerships, technical knowledge and policies that are being developed to meet the SDGs and not leave anyone behind. An urgent and ambitious agenda.

The plan to put the world on the path to a more prosperous and sustainable development for all has been a vision shared by 156 countries that has involved the implementation of national and local action plans, the commitment of companies, media, academy and civil society.

The agenda, which focuses on achieving fair, equitable and inclusive territory, hopes to eradicate extreme poverty, put an end to all forms of malnutrition and discrimination against women and girls, guarantee universal access to energy services and significantly reduce all forms of violence, among other 169 goals within the 17 SDGs.

Progress has been made thanks to the joint efforts of governments and their alliances. For example, by 2018 labor productivity increased and more than a hundred countries have sustainable consumption and production policies and initiatives. However, there is still more work to be done to close the gap and address issues such as the risk of youth unemployment, pollution in cities and continue to maintain timely responses to issues such as armed conflicts, climate change and inequalities.

For António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, “only twelve years away from the 2030 goal, we must promote the notion of urgency. Meeting the agenda requires immediate and accelerated actions by countries, as well as collaborative partnerships between governments and stakeholders at all levels.”

Some of the initiatives that have been taken in this regard are the creation of the Mainstreaming Acceleration Policy Support, MAPS, an agile and common approach that is sustained in the mainstreaming, acceleration and support for policies, and the creation of the SDG Center for Latin America and the Caribbean CODS, by its acronym in Spanish, the first in the region located in Colombia, with the support of universities from Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru.

“By investing in the SDGs, we invest in the future, ensuring a world in which we strive for peace, stability and prosperity; we pledge that no one will be left behind.”

António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations.

The urgent call is for all civil society to embrace this agenda of sustainable development as a way and an opportunity to make any corner of the world a better place to live.

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Compañía inmobiliaria RE/MAX expande sus negocios en Medellín

RE/MAX expands its business in Medellín

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The North American real estate firm RE/MAX arrived in Colombia in 2010 and currently has 35 offices and more than 350 associated agents. They opened their first facilities in Medellín in December 2018 and will open two new offices in Laureles and Envigado.

The international real estate company RE/MAX, with more than 40 years in the market, continues its expansion plan in Medellín with the opening of new offices.

RE/MAX included Medellín in their expansion plan for its real estate potential, its projection as a destination for the foreign market, the country’s political and economic conditions, and the availability of human talent, among others. “Colombia’s talent, especially the one in Medellín, is key for our project. We want to highlight the entrepreneurial spirit which is key in our way of doing things,” says María Eugenia Hermelo, general manager of the company.

Since December 2018, they started operations in Medellín with its RE/MAX Coffee Realty, a collaborative and experiential space which offers their agents a place to develop real estate businesses.

Its operations in the city consist of facilitating the real estate purchase and sale in the local and international market. This is possible due to the connection with its worldwide network of 8,500 offices in 105 countries.RE/MAX brings to Medellín a professional real estate brokerage model which benefits buyers, sellers, investors, builders, and developers.

The Role of ACI Medellín

The company acknowledges the role of ACI Medellín during its exploration and installation process in the city and highlights the importance of being clear about the conditions and advantages for foreign investment in the territory. Also, they value ACI Medellín’s support in positioning them in the local market, attracting and connecting them with investors to strengthen their relationship.

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Congreso de Movilidad Futura

The challenges of urban mobility were discussed in the First Future Mobility Congress held in Medellín

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The Future Mobility Congress developed by the Medellín Mayor’s Office together with the EAFIT University, the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities and the Despacio research center, presented the main challenges of the city in this area. The event was the opportunity to show the role of Medellín as a city committed to the implementation of innovative and inclusive mobility options and the exchange of meaningful experiences.

Presentation by the mayor of Medellín, Federico Gutiérrez Zuluaga.

Pursuing its goal of becoming the Latin American capital of electric mobility by 2030, the Medellín Mayor’s Office and its Mobility Secretariat, carried out the first Future Mobility Congress on April 2, 2019, at Plaza Mayor conventions center.

The Secretary of Mobility of Medellín, Humberto Iglesias said: “Our goal of becoming the Latin American capital of electric mobility is not about ego or vanity, but because we want to strongly commit to improving the air quality of our city.”

The Congress showcased panelists and lecturers from Chile, Holland, Russia, and Colombia; and addressed not only the electrical dimension of mobility but the orientation towards a comprehensive look on road safety, efficiency, and care of the environment.

“Medellín is an example of how a city faces its problems and exercises leadership in the world. Few cities have made such transcendental and concrete decisions as Medellín, that of reducing their emissions and improving mobility,” said Manuel Olivera, Climate Leadership Group C40 Regional Manager Latin America chapter and speaker of the Congress.

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Medellín’s Green Corridors nominated to the Ashden 2019 International Awards

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The 30 Green Corridors project has been chosen as one of the four projects in the long list of the Ashden 2019 Awards in the “Cooling for People” category for its contributions to improve the thermal sensation of Medellín. This is the first time Ashden opens this category, for which they joined world-renowned organizations such as Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program (K-CEP) and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL).

The Medellín Mayor’s Office presented this initiative as a product of the articulated work of the Secretariats of Environment and Physical Infrastructure. The Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellín and the Metropolitan Area – ACI Medellín, together with these secretariats, led the application process for the award, contributing to the international positioning of Medellín and its best practices.

Ashden, a UK non-profit organization which defends and supports sustainable energy leaders in the quick transition to a low-carbon world, recognizes the 30 Green Corridors project in the version of its 2019 award as one of the finalists in the Cooling for People category.

The 30 Green Corridors project was chosen for its contribution to the relief of heat stress in the city. It stands out together with other global experiences with innovative approaches in urban areas such as Addis Ababa (Capital of Ethiopia) and the City of Singapore. See the article published by Ashden.

The Awards were established in 2001 and are recognized worldwide as a mark of excellence in the field of green energy. The awards ceremony will be held in London on July 3 as part of the first London Climate Action Week.

“Medellín is a city which has overcome countless challenges. At this moment, caring for the environment and our air quality are two crucial issues we are facing. Structural solutions such as the Green Corridors are a strong commitment to improving the lives of our citizens. We are very excited about Medellín’s nomination to the Ashden Awards,” said the Mayor of Medellín, Federico Gutiérrez Zuluaga.

Green Corridors is presented as an example of sustainability

In line with this news, during the fourth meeting of the Urban Greenup project, held in Brussels, Belgium the progress in greening actions, the establishment of corridors and green walls, and changing hard floors to soft ones was exalted.

The project, funded by the UN’s Horizon 2020 program, aims at the development, application, and replication of Urban Renaturing Plans in several European and non-European cities (8 in total). Its purpose is to mitigate the effects of climate change to improve air quality and water management, as well as increase the sustainability of participating cities through innovative solutions based on nature.

“Green Corridors was gladly received. None of the participating cities showed physical advances in their projects. They all showed planning in their territories, but Medellín was the only city that demonstrated the execution of the projects. With our example, they realized that they can do things,” said Secretary of Environment, Sergio Andrés Orozco Escobar.

About Green Corridors

The project consists of planting trees accompanied by shrubs, palms and green cover in an environmental network which connects streams, hills, parks, and roads. During its execution, 8,800 trees and palms have been planted with an investment of 49 billion pesos.

The Green Corridors are part of the strategy A greener Medellín for you, which consolidates an ecological network consisting of 18 roadways, 12 river basins and the Nutibara, El Volador and La Asomadera hills.
The Green Corridors offer a variety of ecosystem services, among which are the following:

  • An estimated reduction up to 2°C of the environment temperature.
  • The decrease in the heat island effect.
  • The capture of particulate matter, improving air quality.
  • The improvement of conditions for the conservation of biodiversity and the increase in the types of flora species.
  • The consolidation of an ecological network which allows the generation of new city scenarios, through the recovery and programmed sowing, the greening and modeling of the landscape within the framework of the man – ecosystem relationship.
  • The prioritization of the safety of pedestrians facilitating their mobility on crosswalks through planters and sidewalks.
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Cooperación Internacional

Delegates of Jeonju, South Korea met Medellín’s Sustainable Mobility System

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Delegates from Jeonju, South Korea, completed a mission in Medellín guided by the EDU, the Metropolitan Area, Metro, and Metroplús, to learn about the city’s sustainable mobility system. Their main objective was to understand how Medellín uses public transport to drive the socio-economic development of the territory.

The Korean delegation made up by experts in mobility, innovation, sustainability and construction, received information on Medellín’s best practices, background, achievements and challenges in terms of mobility.

During their visit, they took a tour around the different transport systems which allowed them to understand its integration, contributions to urban development, and how it has benefitted users.

“During the visit, I found differences in the conditions of the two cities (Jeonju – Medellín), despite that, I saw that both have the same objective: to make the city sustainable. The city of Jeonju has made great progress in several aspects, however, I felt that the transport system of Medellín is a well-structured system, more than ours. I am sure that this experience will give us good ideas when we prepare our transportation programs.” said Songbok Um, Manager of the bus policy office of the city of Jeonju

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Novotel llegó a Medellín

Novotel arrives in Medellín

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The French group Accor, the world’s leading operator in the travel and tourism sector, bought the Atton chain and changed the name of the El Tesoro shopping mall to Novotel.

Novotel has 278 beds and the total operation sums up an investment of 73,000 million pesos .

Novotel has chosen Medellín for being one of Colombia’s main financial, industrial, commercial, and service centers with one of the best strategic locations. In recent years, hosting national and international events, and receiving major national and international companies have made Medellín an important development hub for the country.

“Accor got to South America more than 40 years ago. Today, we have more than 350 hotels in Latin America and we want to increase that figure by the year 2022. Novotel is one of our best brands and we want it to be present in all the metropolis of the country. That is why we are in Medellín.” said Frank Pruvost, General Manager Mid & Eco – South America Hispana Accor.

Mr. Pruvost said that, after Brazil, Colombia is Accor’s second market. They plan to open other hotels of the 35 brands they operate, including Ibis, which already has a hotel in Medellin and Swissôtel.

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Informe de inversión en Medellín

Foreign direct investment has boosted Medellín’s Competitiveness

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Special report on Investment: 2016, 2017, 2018:

The interest Medellín generates to the world due to its social and urban transformation and constant innovation have become the gateway for entrepreneurs and investors to consider establishing their companies in the territory.

ACI Medellín makes the city-region visible in different scenarios to generate confidence amongst investors. Also, it seeks to aim efforts and initiatives to favor the city’s inhabitants through the generation of employment, the transfer of its best business practices and the improvement of local infrastructure.

The interest Medellín generates to the world due to its social and urban transformation and constant innovation has become the gateway for entrepreneurs and investors to consider establishing their companies in the territory.

During the first three years of this administration, the city has achieved a historical figure in terms of investment: 836.61 million U.S. dollars through companies from Canada, China, Denmark, El Salvador, Spain, the United States, France, Guatemala, Mexico, and Switzerland.

The relationship of ACI Medellín with the companies interested in expanding in the territory has led them to trust in the capacities of the city. In several cases, these companies reinvest their capital. Thus, between 2016 and 2018, 73 investments and reinvestments became a reality, mainly in terms of infrastructure and real estate, manufacturing, industries 4.0, aerospace and life sciences.

This joint work with national and foreign companies in Medellín generates an employment dynamic which benefits the region, improving the business fabric and boosting its installed capacities. This is translated into the creation of 8,911 jobs during these last three years.

Why Medellín? That’s the question the Agency attempts to solve to investors who explore the city as a possible option to expand their business. This strategy seeks a proactive relationship with entrepreneurs in their own territory. Since 2016 to date, 23 events called Why Medellín? have been carried out in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Spain, the United States, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Turkey, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Achievements

2016

  • Contribution to the settlement of 15 investment projects and foreign reinvestments totaling 211.60 million U.S. dollars. They were possible through the creation of 12 new investments and meant the generation of 3,039 jobs.
  • The leadership of services in information and communication technologies (ICT) and value-added services as large recipients of foreign investment.
  • Realization of six events Why Medellín? in the destinations where opportunities were identified with potential investors. It is worth mention that in 2016 this event was carried out in countries where the agency had not made internationalization management, including Turkey, New Zealand, Australia, and Uruguay.
  • These missions generated relationships with around 200 representatives of companies and organizations who see Colombia as a good opportunity to expand their businesses and that, from now on, have Medellín among their investment options.

 

2017

  • The attraction of 371.74 million U.S. dollars in investment and a growth of 76% compared to the previous year. This is the highest amount registered in ACI Medellín’s history.
  • 92% of the total investment arriving in the city came from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, El Salvador, the United States, France, Mexico, the Netherlands, Panama, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Uruguay.
  • These investment resources benefited the sectors of agribusiness, services, renewable energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, tourism, industries 4.0, which represented the creation of 2,692 jobs.
  • Constant demand from investors for local talent in the areas such as engineering, architecture, software development, and bilingual personnel for the tourism sector, services and technology.
  • Articulation with countries like Germany, Brazil, Korea, Singapore, and Turkey to share experiences, learn from best practices, attract foreign investment and strengthen new technologies related to the Electric Mobility Ecosystem.
  • In 2017, eight events Why Medellín? were carried out in Argentina, Brazil, the United States, Spain, Mexico, and Venezuela.

2018

 

  • Strengthening investor confidence in the city with the attraction of 253.28 million U.S. for the establishment of 34 investment and reinvestment projects.
  • 76% of the total investment amount corresponds to new investments of national and foreign companies, and 24% comes from organizations that strengthened their confidence in the city by materializing reinvestments.
  • The largest number of investment projects comes from the United States with 18% of total investments received, followed by France, Spain, Japan, Canada, and Argentina. 15% comes from national investment.
  • Generation of 3,180 new jobs through direct investment, out of which, 866 are the result of reinvestments.
  • The most benefited economic sector was the services sector with more than half of the jobs generated, followed by the infrastructure and real estate sectors.
  • Consolidation of the Why Medellín? Strategy through the accomplishment of nine events in Peru, Chile, the United States, Mexico, and Argentina. This strategy allowed us to contact 268 representatives of organizations who see Medellín as a good opportunity for their expansion plan.

 

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Medellín nodo de conocimiento para el mundo

Medellín stands out as a good partner for international cooperation in the World

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Special Report on Cooperation 2016, 2017, 2018

Medellín continues to generate interest amongst the international community in the development of new cooperation opportunities, mainly with those countries seeking allies to implement and develop programs and projects on peacebuilding, city transformation, urbanism, economic and social development, education, culture, and investment. Hence, during the last three years, 30 million U.S. dollars have arrived in the city to develop different projects and initiatives which even had been implemented in other cities of the country.

In 2018, we achieved the highest cooperation amount in ACI Medellín’s history for 12.5 million U.S. dollars for sustainable mobility granted by South Korea.

Between 2016 – 2018, Medellín has received 503 delegations from 57 countries

The United States, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and France have sent the largest number of government and business missions to Medellín during the last three years.

The topics they are interested the most are the following: urban planning, environment and mobility; transformation; investment; peacebuilding, government and security; and economic development.

Between 2016 and 2018, 134 delegations from different Colombian cities visited ACI Medellín to know, learn, and replicate its model.

Between 2016 and 2018, the Sos Paisa program has supported 40 contributions from Paisas living abroad. Also, Sos Paisa has coordinated 19 meetings with Paisas in different cities around the world.

The city also has used international cooperation in the implementation of best practices. In this sense, Medellín currently explores knowledge exchange opportunities to learn from their good results in other countries. In the last three years, eight best practices were coordinated with Mexico, South Korea, France, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Spain on health, mobility, planning, energy, urban planning, social inclusion, and economic development.

The evolution of international cooperation has helped southern countries and cities to interact and seize the strengths they can learn from other projects implemented in developed countries. In this case, Medellín has positioned itself in the international system as a reliable city for the development of South-South cooperation projects, achieving the transfer of knowledge of 17 projects with countries such as: Granada, Chile, Peru, Guatemala, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Burma, Costa Rica, Brazil, Honduras, Saint Lucia, Guyana , Argentina and Mexico.

In 2004, another international cooperation strategy was born to connect Paisas living abroad with their city, the Sos Paisa program. It invites them to become ambassadors of Medellín to the world and making contributions to promote social development. The program has grown progressively. In the last three years, it has coordinated 40 contributions and 19 meetings in 12 countries.

Achievements:

2016

Remarked cooperation actions: 

Embassy of Canada: The promotion of inclusive economic growth and providing support to the consolidation of peace through market-oriented training and the generation of employment opportunities for young people, women, and people affected by the armed conflict. In situations of poverty and vulnerability to support the projects of the Secretariat of Youth and the Secretariat of Social Inclusion and Family (Victims Unit).

South Korea: This cooperation activity sought to start up the technical elaboration process of the Comprehensive Master Plan for Mobility of Medellín.

World Bank: Provided consultancy in the implementation of TIF ( Tax Increment Financing) as a non-traditional source of financing for urban renewal and development in the city.

  • International scenarios where the city was invited to share experiences: XXII Congress of the Ibero-American Center for Strategic Urban Development – CIDEU (Spain), World Cities Summit (Singapore), VI Biennial Summit of Mayors of C40 (Mexico).
  • Four international awards for the city, including the 2016 Lee Kuan Yew Award, worldwide known as the Nobel of cities. Medellín was recognized as a model city for its urban transformation which improved the quality of life of its inhabitants.
  • Visits and work agendas with more than 900 delegates and 250 journalists to share Medellín’s best practices. In addition, the visit of renowned politicians to strengthen ties between cities: Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo; Senior Advisor to the US Secretary of State, David Thorne; Mayor of Quito, Mauricio Rodas; and Vice Mayor of Barcelona, Gerardo Pisarello.

 

2017

Remarked cooperation actions: 

Bloomberg Philanthropy: This technical and financial cooperation action aimed to develop the Bancuadra project of the Bank of Opportunities attached to the Secretariat of Economic Development. This project is the solution to address the problem of illegal credits (Daily Payments) which support organized crime in the city.

Marina Orth Foundation: A financial cooperation action to guarantee high-quality education in three major areas: English, technology, and leadership. Also, it offers extracurricular activities in English and robotics for the development of leadership skills in the complimentary day.

U.S.: Alliance for Reconciliation Program (PAR in Spanish). It benefited two projects of the Medellín Mayor’s Office: Reconciliation: Economic autonomy for the construction of social capital in Medellín; and More than 90 minutes, addressed to 120 soccer fan club leaders of the city. Sweden: Technical and financial cooperation action for the Motor Route Program which aims to offer access to formal education opportunities to vulnerable young people.

South-South Cooperation with Mercociudades: Medellín and Santa Fe (Argentina) presented the project “Strengthening the local entrepreneurial culture and the socio productive fabric.” It will allow knowledge exchange between both cities.

  • Medellín is the first city in Colombia to join UNESCO’s Learning Cities Network.  As it was announced at the III International Conference on Learning Cities held in Cork, Ireland. This network seeks to support and accelerate the practice of lifelong learning.
  • Six international awards for initiatives from the Mobility Secretariat, the Comptroller General of Medellín, the House of Memory Museum, and the Secretariat of Environment.
  • The creation of the Medellín LAB as a strategy to account for the social and urban transformations of the city as a “living laboratory” of experiences.
  • Work agendas with 1,500 delegates and 241 journalists interested in learning about the processes and advances of the city on different matters. They included the presence of high-level personalities such as the Minister of Transport of the United Kingdom, Christopher Stephen Grayling; the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Paula Lehtomamaki; and Senior Vice President of the World Bank, Mahmoud Mohieldin.

 

2018

Remarked cooperation actions:

Spain: Technical Exchange with the House of Memory Museum and Madrid City Council.

South Korea: The Ministry of Land, Transport, and Infrastructure of Korea (MOLIT) bet on the city’s smart mobility with a historical figure of USD 12.5 million in international cooperation (the highest granted to the city in its history). This project aims to the creation of an integrated center for traffic management, installation of monitoring equipment and increasing the action range of Medellín’s Secretariat of Mobility.

  • Participation in international scenarios: IDB’s III Ibero-American Forum of Mayors (Argentina), Global Climate Action Summit (USA), World Cities Summit 2018 (Singapore) in which Medellín was appointed to host the event in 2019.
  • Visits and city agendas with 1,400 delegates and 256 journalists interested in learning about the advances and the transformation of Medellín. They included personalities such as the Ambassador of France in Colombia, Gautier Mignot; Mayor of Chuncheon, South Korea; Read Jea Su; Deputy Minister of Trade Affairs of the European Union, Chancellery of Sweden, Oscar Stentsön.
  • In 2018, the Semilleros Infantiles de Participación Ciudadana program received a mention in the UNESCO Educating Cities Award.

The Inter-American Development Bank, IDB, awarded EPM for its Medellín River Sanitation Program as one of the 5 best practices in Latin America and the Caribbean.

NovaGob.Lab awarded the 2018 Excellence Award to the 1,2,3 Woman’s Emergency Hotline from the Secretariat of Women.

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Medellín continues to advance towards sustainable mobility

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Medellín will have its first 100% electric taxi

Medellín continues to progress in the implementation of a more efficient, modern, and environmentally friendly transport for everyone. In addition to the 64 electric buses which will arrive in the city in 2019, today, Medellín has the first electric taxi thanks to the union of BYD and TAX BELÉN. This is a project focused on promoting new technologies of clean mobility in the city.

This first vehicle is part of a process to gradually incorporate electric taxis to the existing fleet, making Medellín the capital of electric mobility in Colombia and Latin America.

TAX BELÉN, one of the largest taxi companies in Medellín with more than 2,300 members, will be in charge of operating public service cars; whilst BYD will provide after-sales service and will contribute with its experience as one of the world’s leading electric vehicles manufacturers.

“Medellín has become more important to BYD due to its interest in incorporating electric mobility in its streets. This historic step ratifies this goal, and we are here to support the growth and progress of the city through our technology,” said Juan Felipe Velásquez, commercial director of the BYD Antioquia’s branch.

Movilidad sostenible

This taxi will operate throughout the Aburrá Valley. It is bright green to help users to differentiate. When they get on it, they will live a great experience and contribute to caring for the environment.

“TAX BELÉN is committed to environmentally friendly and sustainable mobility, which is why we are committed to making electric taxis for Medellín a reality. We will make all our human, technical and financial efforts so that citizens enjoy a world-class individual public service,” said Juan David Lopera, manager of Grupo Empresarial TAX Belén.

The Taxi

Since it is 100% electric, it does not emit polluting gases. Also, it will save approximately 70% compared to other combustion vehicles and its operating costs will be 50% lower than taxis running on gasoline or natural gas. It does not emit any kind of vibration or noise thus improving the comfort for the occupants. 90 minutes of fast charge will be enough to travel up to 400 kilometers in a day. The recharge will initially be made in existing stations in the city.

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Metrocable de Medellín

Sustainable mobility, Medellín’s commitment to caring for the environment

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On February 28, Medellín opened its fifth Metrocable for commuting. It is an environmentally friendly electrical system which already benefits more than 350,000 inhabitants of the Villa Hermosa and Buenos Aires neighborhoods, and which was financed by the Municipal Administration.

Since 1995, with the start of the commercial operation of the Medellín Metro, the city began an urban transformation process for passenger mobility whose axis is the commitment to inclusion, service and environmental protection.

The city began to improve the metro service through other solutions suitable for its topography, thus in 2004, it opens the first cable car system for commuting, connecting the furthest districts with the center of Medellín. A best practice in Latin America and the world.

The implementation of these systems has earned Medellín a worldwide recognition for its urban and social innovation. Also, has made the city more attractive to delegations interested in knowing and building cable car systems as a means of mass transportation.

The Integrated Transportation System of the Aburrá Valley, SITVA, is a comprehensive mobility solution which combines multiple modes of transport such as metro, cable cars (Metrocable), BRT (Metroplús), public bicycle system (Enclica) and the tram. Therefore, reducing costs, improving the quality of the environment and shortening travel times. All this is linked to the recent efforts of the Municipal Administration to migrate to clean and environmentally friendly technologies, such as the recent acquisition of electric buses for the Metroplús system.

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The Power of the C40 Cities

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Medellín is part of a select group of cities which work together to mitigate risks associated to climate change. This decision implies the execution of a wide portfolio of programs that will impact
the life quality of people.

According to UN data, each decade brings with it a loss of Arctic ice above 1.07 square kilometers. The average sea level rose 19 centimeters between 1901 and 2010 and, since 1970, the amount of natural disasters has quadrupled to around 400 per year.

These numbers, more than irreversible alarms, have become a motivation and work engine for many countries looking to take urgent measures that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

San Francisco in the United States, for example, expects to reach zero waste in 2020. London in the United Kingdom has reduced the number of vehicles in the business district, and Sydney in Australia, plans for all its inhabitants to be at a 250 meter distance, a walk away, from a green park.

For its articulated and integrated work on behalf of the environment, Medellín was chosen as the vice president city of the Steering Committee of C40. Additionally, Medellín represents Latin America, along with Santiago de Chile and Quito.

Medellín has decided to follow the example of the great capitals in several actions. The first and fundamental was to incorporate the environment as a banner topic in its 2016-2019 Development Plan. This, then, becomes a government commitment, associated to indicators and specific activities.

In addition, since 2016, the city has joined the league of territories that lead the path to a healthier, more sustainable future: C40. This action connects professionals, creates relationships of trust among countries, and encourages, freely and sensibly, ideas, solutions and lessons that make the collective jobs of all member cities stronger. Today, there are more than 10,000 executed actions by 96 cities.

A Planet-Friendly City

On a wager for environmental improvement, Medellín has taken on several commitments. One is to take inventory of greenhouse gasses under the guidelines of the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission (GPC) and sign three agreements: Deadline 2020, a guide for the implementation of the Paris Agreement, the declaration of streets free of fossil fuels, and lastly, to reach equal distribution among the population of environmental, social and economic benefits generated from the executed environmental actions.

Corrededores verdes en Medellín
Avenida Oriental, a commitmentt for sustainability and green areas to improve air quality.

Likewise, the city has proposed the consolidation of an environmental network made up of 30 Green Corridors that connect roads, ravines, hills and parks, with benefits, such as the improvement of air quality and the reduction or noise and temperature levels. The city has also proposed providing 35 eco-stations in operation in the Aburrá Valley, having more than 200 electric vehicles, operating the EnCicla system, which provides more that 65,000 daily trips on bicycles and working on a pilot program that will supply 1,500 electric cabs through concerted payment and of high social impact.

Other parallel actions are having the greenhouse gasses effect inventory that identifies which sectors emit the highest tons of CO2, developing a management plan to face climate change, signing of the Medellín Air Quality Pact with 83 companies that have committed themselves to taking actions that will aid in the reduction of polluting gas emissions, and advancing in the renovation of pubic transport, with Euro 5 technology busses.

Thanks to these actions, lead by the Secretariat of Environment, with the participation and contribution of private companies, educational institutions and other municipal secretariats, such as Mobility, Infrastructure and Planning, Medellín goes forward in environmental sustainability. The governmental foundations have been set as well as greater consciousness by citizens so that the city continue on the route of growth and sustainable expansion.

A Call to the World from the Region

During the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) and the meeting of the Steering Committee of C40 held in San Francisco, United States, in September, city mayor Federico Gutiérrez Zuluaga, presented environmental advances in Medellín.

During the event, the local leader highlighted the signing of the air quality pact that engages 83 public and private partners, in addition to the C40 Network, which contains 446 commitments with goals by 2030.

For the Mayor, “taking action regarding climate change is no longer an option. We can have political and cultural differences but we share the love for our cities and our people. I know, furthermore, that we have the conviction of leaving our children a kinder world in all aspects.”

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What is the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution?

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It is a space of trust and knowledge exchange for global cooperation. Also, it will be the perfect for the discussion about the latest trends and its technological applications, and the regulatory frameworks for different industries and countries in terms of: artificial intelligence, blockchain , the Internet of things, machine learning, Big Data , nanotechnology, and the impacts of this revolution on the lives of people and governments.

The speed of these developments taking place in this field and the blurred borders between the sectors due to the use of information technologies are the main reasons for the creation of the Centers for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, whose mission is to ensure that the benefits of the current era impact all of humanity.

Location of the other Centers for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the world

Between 2017 and 2018, four Centers for the Fourth Industrial Revolution were created

Centros para la cuarta revolución industrial

How can a city benefit from hosting a Center for the Fourth Revolution?

The cities chosen to host the Centers for the Fourth Industrial Revolution have important characteristics in common: investment in science, technology and innovation; a significant and effective relation between the public, private sector and academia; the ability to provide qualified human talent on technological issues and bets from their governments to leverage the industry with the technological advances of the fourth revolution.

These installed capacities plus those generated around the establishment of the Centers for the Fourth Industrial Revolution will bring a series of benefits and development processes that impact the quality of life of the host cities’ inhabitants. The industry benefits directly from the incorporation of technological advances, the stimulation of formal employment, the systematization of its innovations and the generation of synergies among the entities that participate in this Center.

In addition, action frameworks will be created to attract and create high added-value businesses for cities which impact on its competitiveness and positioning. Thus, attracting capital and human talent.

Inteligencia artificial
Ruta N will host the Latin American Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Participation of ACI Medellín

The commitment to the internationalization of the city led by ACI Medellín has a key role in the articulation of the entities participating in a high-impact project such as the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The commitment of all the stakeholders who worked together to achieve the election of the city is ratified with this appointment. The Medellín Mayor’s Office, Ruta N, ACI Medellín, Procolombia, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, and the World Economic Forum have the responsibility of impacting the development of Latin America from Medellín, and to generate an exponential economic growth which generates equity and opportunities for people.

In addition, ACI Medellín is strengthened by the knowledge management arising from this Center and hopes that the city learns from it and continue the exchange of best practices.

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Emvarias

Medellín is comitted to Sustainable Energy

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Converting trash into clean energy? This is what the project by the British company, Exergy, is betting on and proposed for Medellín. Thanks to ACI Medellín, the European company is working for the environmental preservation of the city and the planet.

Close to 3,100 tons of garbage from all over the Aburrá Valley and the 23 other communities in Antioquia come to La Pradera landfill daily. Everything that is thrown out at home ends up in this 382 hectare dump in the municipality of Don Matías in the northern region of Antioquia.

Although the service life of this landfill, which began operations in 2003, was calculated for 50 years, the accelerated overload of materials foresees a more rapid fill-up. In this context Exergy proposed a solution in tune with the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically with Responsible Production and Consumption.

How about harnessing solid residues as an energy and thermal sources, reducing part of the 90,000 tons of residues generated per month and reduction of the operations cost of the landfill by COP2,500 million?

More than COP$49,000 million, annually, could be saved in Medellín with the implementation of Waste2Energy.

This proposal was introduced in the city through an innovative technology named Waste2Energy from Exergy, in association with the Cidet – Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico para el Sector Energético (Center for Technological Research and Development for the Energy Sector) and EIA University.

Exergy’s arrival was supported by ACI Medellín and Ruta N, wherefrom communication with the foreign company was articulated and coordination ensued about conditions to advance in the necessary studies for the execution of the project.

Sustainable Energy

Exergy Limited has a total of almost seven years since its foundation and experience in R+D projects centered on sustainability. In addition to the main headquarters in Coventry, United Kingdom, the company has offices in Deft, Netherlands, Minneapolis, USA, and since 2016, in Medellín, thanks to a public finance call from the Prosperity Fund Colombia 2016.

“The company, because of its experience and capability, developed a pre-feasibility project in harnessing of solid urban residues in the Aburrá Valley and the appraisal of those residues,” explains Johann Carlos Ramirez, leader of the Energy Latin-America SAS Colombia Energy Line.

A territory to be explored

In many countries in the world, there is harnessing of residues for energy generation and to avoid high financial costs, as well as air quality affectation and the damage to rivers, due to the pouring of lixiviates. For example, while Sweden, Netherlands and Germany harness up to 90% of solid waste, in Colombia, 83% of garbage ends up in sanitary landfills.

The Method

The energy method Exergy implements is a concept which combines the optimal use of resources such as energy, water and other material, minimizing CO2 emissions, as well as emissions from other pollutants. In Twin Cities in Minnesota, a pilot test was run and proved that carbon emissions are reduced by 39% and water consumption is reduced 73% with this system.

“There is clear leadership in nordic countries as Sweden, Finland, Norway and Germany, with strong incentives from the governments so that there be effective recycling for the generation of energy, production of biofuels or chemical biocomponents from urban solid waste,” declared Fernando Centeno, Innovation leader at Exergy.

More than 15% of residues that end up in La Pradera Landfill are made of recyclable material.

These figures led Exergy to propose the Waste2Energy project and the process began with a technical analysis to project the cost of investment and the optimal location of the plant. Between two choices, Bello and Barbosa, the best choice was the first for the construction of a recycling plant, incineration and harnessing of sub products connected to the EPM Waste Water Treatment Plant, from where electric and thermal energy could be generated, in addition to sub-products that could be used in the construction industry.

“Of eight possible business models, this was the most appropriate, since, in addition to the technical aspect, appraisal was made of the reduction of methane emissions to the atmosphere, as well as the mitigation of the environmental impact on water,” says Johann Ramírez.

The pre-feasibility study cost approximately COP$600 million and was covered by Exergy and presented to the government and city utility services companies.

Other Alternatives

Johann Carlos Ramírez Canedo, leader of the Power Line of Exergy Latin America SAS Colombia.

Although the implementation of Waste2Energy is being analyzed, for the second stage of the study an investment of COP$4,000 million is required. Exergy is in Ruta N looking for other possibilities in the local ecosystem to offer sustainable solutions to the region.

This is how they have visited different communities of east Antioquia and have found different local initiatives, among them in El Cármen de Viboral, where they opened a biogas plant at La Cimarrona sanitary landfill. Also, in El Santuario, they adapted a composting system with Proprietary technology.

Likewise, Exergy is investing in a blended-use building, residences and offices, stimulated by the stake of the Medellín Mayor’s Office in the urban renewal of the city center.

This building will be designed with a bioclimatic concept for the consumption of water and energy, sustainable construction, photovoltaic energy warming, motorcycle and electric bicycle charging station, and, of course, education in the treatment of residues, so as to separate from the source.

Thanks to the intervention of ACI Medellín as the link for the arrival of companies of this type and the complementary relationship with institutions, such as Ruta N, Exergy continues looking for business schemes that reduce the ecological footprint and promote planet sustainability.

“Approximately COP$860,000 millions are needed in Medellín to expand and build new landfills. Why not make better use
of these residues and financial resources to generate energy?”

Fernando Centeno, Innovation leader at Exergy.

 

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El tránsito hacia alternativas limpias

Medellín: Moving Towards Clean Alternatives

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The city is advancing on the implementation of an environmentally friendlier, more modern, efficient and healthier transport system for all.

In her commute from her home in Belén La Palma, in southwest Medellín, to her office in El Poblado, Daniela Chavarría uses an electric bicycle. Sebastián Callejas, prefers traveling on the Metro every day from the Acevedo station, north of the city, to the Aguacatala station. Ana María Vargas uses the Ayacucho tram and the Metro.

Although each of these residents uses different transport means, Daniela, Sebastián and Ana María have something in common: they all easily arrive at their destinations, save time and money, and do not stress on traffic congestion. They also do their share in reducing emissions of polluting gases to the atmosphere, and thus contribute so that the air in Medellín is cleaner and of better quality, because these forms of transport are zero emissions, as are the metrocables of Santo Domingo (on the northeast), San Javier (on the west) and La Sierra (mid-eastern region).

These commuters also demonstrate the city’s progress in sustainability, its consolidation as a national benchmark and its work to be the future Latin America’s capital of electric mobility.

Tranvía de Ayacucho.
The Ayacucho Tram.

Decision and Commitment

Some of the projects that are under implementation to guarantee efficient and environmentally-friendly public transport systems for the people of the city are as follows:

  • Renewal of the entire bus fleet of vehicles that operate with low emission technologies, such as Euro IV, V and VI, natural gas or electricity. A reduction of 5.4 tons of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and 4.066 tons of CO2 is expected.
  • Thirty articulated buses and 47 standard buses of the Metroplus (BRT system), which run from the University of Medellín (southwest) to Aranjuez (northeast) and operate with natural gas. In addition, the system has a full electric-powered bus with a capacity for 160 passengers and a battery that allows 280 kilometers autonomy.
  • Development of a project, between the Secretary of Mobility and EPM, so that taxi companies can trade out vehicles that run on fossil fuels for electric ones. In the next three years there will be 1,500 electric cabs.
  • Twenty-five eco-stations or public ECS for electric cars distributed along different parts of the city and in the municipalities of Envigado, Sabaneta and Rionegro.
  • Construction of 80 kilometers of bike paths, encouraging the use of bicycles.

Key Actors

In order for Daniela and all citizens to enjoy clean transport alternatives, different agencies work jointly, including the Metropolitan Area, the Metro, the Olaya Herrera Airport and the Secretariats of Mobility, Environment and Infrastructure.

Especially, the Metropolitan Area leads two projects for air pollution reduction in the Aburrá Valley. These are the Pigeca (Comprehensive Air Pollution Management Plan, for its acronym in Spanish) and the Poeca (Operational Plan to Confront Critical Episodes of Atmospheric Pollution). Among its activities are the measurement of meteorological variables through 21 stations; control of automotive diagnostic centers and monitoring fixed sources. The plans will also promote an integrated low-emission transport system.

In addition to this, the Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellín and the Metropolitan Area -ACI Medellín- has played an important role in this transformation. According to Humberto Iglesias Gómez, Secretary of Mobility of Medellín, “it has allowed us to share spaces with other cities and countries that have advanced a lot in this area. We have gone to Germany, Sweden, France and South Korea where we learned about their experiences and they showed us opportunities for improvement.”

In fact, between Medellín and Paris there is an alliance to work together and exchange good practices. “They have taught us to improve, to know what we must do to prevent environmental deterioration and that people, regardless of their socioeconomic status, get out of their car and prefer public transport means,” says Iglesias.

Secretario de Movilidad de Medellín, Humberto Iglesias Gómez.
The Secretary of Mobility of Medellín, Humberto Iglesias Gómez.

These achievements are proof that Medellín is living a revolution to achieve a more modern, efficient, accessible, integrated and intelligent transportation system that contributes for the care of the Earth.

Así se movilizan los ciudadanos en Medellín

 

A Historical Investment

The Ministry of Territory and Infrastructure of South Korea will donate 12.5 million dollars to Medellín. This support will help the continuation of sustainable mobility development with clean energy; improvement of a traffic information control center and traffic light phases. The project will also include the implementation of regulated public parking lots and intelligent stops, in which users will know the bus routes, frequencies and estimated times of arrival at their destinations.

Movilidad eléctrica en Medellín
Electrical bus which reduces polluting particles and contributes to sustainable mobility.
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Consulado de Perú en Medellín

The Republic of Peru opened its Consulate in Medellín

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On February 20, Medellin welcomed the new Consulate of Peru, located at 7 South Street # 42-70 (Forum Building, office 415).

The event was chaired by the Ambassador of Peru in Colombia, Ignacio Higuera Hare who affirms that the new consular space seeks to consolidate the binational relations between Colombia and Peru.

Mrs. Patricia Nava Pérez, Minister Counselor of the Diplomatic Service of Peru, was appointed as Consul General. She will be in charge of facilitating joint work in terms of investment and international cooperation and strengthen bilateral relations.

The new Consulate will provide services for Antioquia, Caldas, Risaralda, and Chocó, promoting tourism and Peruvian culture. ACI Medellín celebrates the opening of this consular office and welcomes Mrs. Nava, and wishes her the best results.

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Inteligencia artificial

Artificial Intelligence, the Wave that Expands in Medellín

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Medellín’s competitiveness is linked to innovation and technology. It is a commitment for quality work, opening to new markets and the generation of development.

When Alejandro Gómez saw the humanoid, Sophia, who interacts and holds conversations with people, in Medellín, he felt a wave in his head, a hunch that told him that in this city he had the ability to make an equally good robot, or an even better one.

The Sophia of his dreams could be at the reception of Ruta N, guide and register visitors, or better yet, at the José María Córdova International Airport to receive tourists. The robot would be able to carry out talks, ask travellers how their trips had been, explain to them where to take the transport, tell them the news of the day or what tourist sites they should visit.

A similar wave spread in Alejandro’s heart as a child and he met Savia Mente, the robot that taught about public utilities in the Interactive Museum of EPM. At that time, his dream of making robots was born, a dream that was made a reality in the Digital Americas Pipeline Initiative, DAPI, the first Artificial Intelligence Center of Colombia, created in Medellín by Ruta N and IRPA & AI, Institute for Robotic Process Automation and Artificial Intelligence of the United States.

Medellín Innovation District Ruta N

2016 - 2018

5.906

jobs generated, 1,264 in 2018.

234

companies attracted from 31 countries, 26 in 2018.
La robot Sophia en Medellín
The robot, Sophia, in its first visit to South America, in the Summer School of the Pontificia Bolivariana University (UPB) of Medellín.

When Alejandro says “we have the capacity,” he means an ecosystem that is gestating in Medellín with DAPI as an articulator, and of which some 6,000 members are part, among whom there are world experts in robotic automation of processes, cognitive computing and artificial intelligence..

DAPI, which operates as an independent company, has almost assured the world market demand for the commercial connections of the IRPA & AI Institute, the first and largest global ecosystem of this type of specialties, known for its vision, experience, leadership and access to decision-makers in major companies throughout the world.

“The investment in technology and innovation breaks inequality, connects citizens and allows for the confluence
of wills and dreams of the city.”

Catalina Restrepo Carvajal, Executive Director
of ACI Medellín

This agency traditionally hires developments in India and Mexico but after evaluating several markets, such as Costa Rica, it chose Medellín as its headquarters and Ruta N as its commercial partner. The company has the business units: creating talent, selling services, forming a community of developers and startups and, at a later time, advisement of companies in specialties related to automation, machine learning, robotic processes and AI.

Thanks to the support of Procolombia and the Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellín and the Metropolitan Area – ACI Medellín, IRPA chose the city for conditions such as the time zone, which facilitates processes on a day-to-day basis with the United States, the cost of labor and the strengths of Ruta N, in order to develop local capacities.

“he initial doubts that the Institute had about settling in Medellín are great advantages of DAPI today: human talent, a strong partner to develop Medellín as an AI hub, guarantee long-term sustainability and promote a local ecosystem with international vision,” highlights Maria Isabel Palomino, DAPI CEO.

“El analfabetismo del futuro será la tecnología y nos preparamos para enfrentarlo. En poco tiempo Medellín será epicentro de inteligencia artificial”

María Isabel Palomino, gerente de Digital Americas Pipeline Initiative, DAPI.

Exceeding Expectations

ACI Medellín provided the legal and operational support, and facilitated the relationship with IRPA. In just three months of operations, DAPI has four experts in mathematics, systems engineering, electronics, physics and Artificial Intelligence. By December, there will be 24 employees and 60 in a year’s time, all enjoying benefits of quality employment: good salaries, sustainability over time and opportunities for professional growth.

“These types of initiatives, focused on training, are an opportunity to diversify the business platform in a high potential industry, such as innovation and technological infrastructure. Reducing the digital divide will allow us to reduce inequality and facilitate the creation of companies and jobs,” said Alejandro Franco Restrepo, Executive Director of Ruta N.

By 2020, Artificial Intelligence will generate 2.3 million jobs in the world. By 2021, it will contribute USD16 Trillion  to the world economy

Source: PwC

When Frank Casale, founder of IRPA & AI, arrived in Medellín, he thought about finding a less developed city. But he said he felt he was in Silicon Valley, after visiting the infrastructure of Ruta N, finding talent in profitable technology and the support of government, business and academic research communities.

For the launch of DAPI, a chatbot made the registration of the attendees, took a picture and uploaded it to the system so that later, at their entrance, a robot made in Medellín, identified those attendees through a face recognition screen and welcomed them by name.

They were dazzled, “not even at our events in the United States have we had these innovations,” said members of IRPA & AI.

That day, a wave began to expand in the minds of everyone. Many dreams were created. Knowledge of Ruta N, IRPA & AI and DAPI started to be spread to the local ecosystem. This wave also includes aligning a strategy to produce the talent that the world needs in Artificial Intelligence, exporting services from the capital of Antioquia to the world, generating business and local employment, and bringing pure mathematics and technological knowledge to life and the needs of people.

The marriage between IRPA & AI and Ruta N

  • IRPA & AI is in charge of the training and commercial aspects, assembling the training modules, and connecting DAPI to the international market access network.
  • Ruta N put up the startup capital to hire the staff and manages DAPI.
  • The business model: to hire and train people with a minimum profile in Pytion and Javas Script programming languages to sell services
  • The investment: USD250k by Ruta N, close to 750 million pesos for the first year of operations; and one million dollars of IRPA & AI, in kind, for the training of the team and development of the offer and service platform
  • The services: problem solving and process optimization through artificial intelligence, bots development, robots or autonomous computer programs capable of performing human tasks, programming in RPA and specialized software
  • The process: the employees have 30 to 60-day training in RPA and AI and carry out their own project as a practice
  • Employment: 680 people in four years
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Medellín, epicentro de la educación en Colombia

Medellín is an Epicenter for Education in Colombia

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On February 20, the meeting of Learning Cities: Challenges and Opportunities for Colombia was held at 8:00 a.m. in the Teacher’s Innovation Center, MOVA.

The event was led by the mayor of Medellín, Federico Gutiérrez Zuluaga and Raúl Valdés Cotera, program manager of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning and coordinator of the Network of Learning Cities.

During the event, José Octavio Cardona, mayor of Manizales; Constance Alarcón, vice minister of Preschool, Primary and High School Education; and Rodrigo Pardo, editorial director of Semana magazine, held a dialogue on the country’s regional educational policies and its contribution to strengthening Learning Cities. 

The event is part of the activities prior to the meeting of UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities which will take place in Medellín from October 1 to 3.

The Medellín Mayor’s Office leads programs such as Buen Comienzo [Good Start], La inclusión es con vos [Inclusion is with you], Formando Talentos [Training Talents], Escuela Entorno Protector [Schools as Protective Environments], En el Colegio Contamos con vos [We Count on you at School], Teacher’s Innovation Center – MOVA – and Scholarships for access to higher education. They are at the service of citizens and ratify the administration’s commitment to providing enough tools for the formation of citizens throughout their lives.

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Países nórdicos y Medellín le apuestan a ciudades inteligentes

Nordic Countries and Medellín bet on Smart Cities

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The embassies of Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway held the Smart Cities #ThinkNordic event in Medellín to share best practices with the public and private sector of the city.

The director of ACI Medellín, Catalina Restrepo, lead the opening act in the Smart Cities #ThinkNordic. This event sought to generate spaces for exchange Nordic knowledge and experiences from different approaches: sustainability, environment, mobility, energy, innovation, and technology. The best practices exposed by this board, respond to what diplomats and experts call Nordic thinking, a cultural model they have developed to analyze reality from cooperation and the creation of solutions for the challenges of life in the city.

The panelists aimed their presentations to culture and stressed that the Nordic way obeys to factors such as flexibility, prioritization, generation of incentives, equity, inclusion, and cooperation between the academia and the public and private sectors. These factors, rooted in the four countries, have made it possible to make progress which are global referents for smart cities.

Why did Nordic Smart Cities chose Medellín?

The ambassadors agree that Medellín has made great progress as a smart city and has taken significant steps towards improving the quality of life of citizens, which is why it fits in with the Nordic governments’ knowledge sharing objective.

In the words of the Finnish ambassador, Jarmo Kuuttila “by holding this meeting, we hope to promote a collaboration work between Medellín and our Nordic companies, public and private administration.” In addition, from a more human perspective, their purpose is to make people’s dreams come true and contribute to the creation of cities designed for the realization of their life projects.

ACI Medellín celebrates these spaces of knowledge with Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway, and reaffirms its commitment to take actions that lead to opportunities for the city and improve the quality of life of its inhabitants.

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crecimiento económico y empleo en Medellín

Economy and Employment: Need to Walk at the Same Pace in Medellín

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Medellín seeks to unify the pace between economic growth and quality employment through foreign investment, innovation, commitment to strategic sectors and the knowledge economy.

The US multinational, Stanley Black & Decker has 175 years of operations and 93 years of experience in international expansion, which validates that its business relationships are successful and that its investments in Europe, America, Africa and the Far East are done by a specialist.

This premise gives double merit to Medellín, a city that was selected by that company to create a subsidiary of financial and commercial services for its other companies in America and create 200 direct jobs.

The company highlights that the capital of Antioquia has the capacity to provide high-quality commercial services. “It’s a growing city focused on innovation, with lots of talent and an attractive location to develop our world-class center and strategic initiatives,” says Jamie Ritter, Executive Director.

For its part, Genius Sport, the fastest growing technology, distribution and marketing company of sports data in the world, official ally of FIBA, the Premier League of England and of the NBA, expanded its global presence with new offices in Vilnius in Lithuania, California in the United States and in the capital of Antioquia.

“We opened offices in key cities such as Medellín to strengthen our reputation, resources and services, and respond to the growing demand in all regions around the world,” said Mark Locke, CEO.

But what has Medellín done to earn these merits? The primary action is to include the generation of quality employment in its public policy. Beyond lowering unemployment figures, this challenged the city to ensure decent work and motivate foreign investment and economic growth.

It has been gradually migrating to a knowledge economy, to better wages, a higher quality of life and to a higher average per capita income, even though it has great challenges around inequality.

Something very similar happens in the world. The growth of economies and breaking the unemployment numbers in red were the goals of many governments for years and meant positive results to overcome extreme poverty.

However, economic development and employment almost never progressed at the same pace and informality, forced labor, labor exclusion and inequality grew, which motivated the inclusion of decent work in one of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Generating employment through foreign investment has been a strategy to comply with this SDGs in Medellín. Investment in the city grew 75% between 2016 and 2017, and to September 2018, it has exceeded 253.3 million dollars.

Medellín has qualified human talent and a wide academic offer.

In the last three years, 61 business projects have been installed in the city, 38 of which are new investments and 23 are for reinvestment. Together, they have created more than 7,200 jobs.

A City that Creates Trust

Although the previous figures are conclusive, it is much more remarkable that 31% of the projects are from the software and information and communications technology services, which demanded less investment (11% of the total capital). In addition, they are more impressive in quality employment, due to easy work schedules, conditions and professional promotion of those hired.

Among other companies that have settled in the city are Growth Acceleration Partners, Onelink and Unido, of the EE.UU.; Sana Commerce, from the Netherlands and Accenture, from Ireland. Additionally, investments have increased in: Hotels and lodging Real Estate, Wework, Selina, Marriott Hotel, Grupo Éxito, Renault, Schindler, POMA and Grupo Cala.

“In Medellín, we know how to solve problems due to our social history. The business leaders, the government and the academy meet constantly. They think as a team and make projects together to take the city forward,” highlights Catalina Restrepo Carvajal, Executive Director of ACI Medellín.

The institutionality is strong, regardless of leaders or whomever is in office, projects of previous administrations are not suspended. An example is the public transport model with tram (streetcar), metro, metrocable, metroplus (BRT) and integrated buses, as well as urban renewal with scenarios that foster new lifestyles for the community.

Jobs generated by business initiatives in Medellín

 

2016

3,039 jobs

2017

2,692 jobs

2018

3,180 jobs

María Fernanda Galeano Rojo
Secretary of Economic Development of Medellín, María Fernanda Galeano Rojo.

“Our public policy fosters the transformation of the business base, from industry to the economy of science, innovation, strengthening and formalization of strategic activities such as tourism, agro-industry and competitiveness with environmental conditions such as road infrastructure and air connectivity,” said María Fernanda Galeano Rojo, Secretary of Economic Development of Medellín.

When you arrive in Medellín, you find that the paisas are business leaders and entrepreneurs. They carry this in their DNA. The city is home to ten of the companies with the highest stock market value of the Colombian Stock Exchange, many of them Multi-Latin-American companies. We govern directly and with equity. Public-owned companies, such as EPM and Ruta N, are independent, profitable and with important social projects; and inhabitants want to tell their stories and receive the foreigner with kindness and diligence.

This is the beginning of master moves for Medellín as a resilient expert who wants to innovate, who knows how to reinvent itself and who has the experience to create and execute projects that make a difference.

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Igualdad de género y diversidad

Medellín, a territory for everyone, inclusive and friendly territory for the LGBTI population

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Being part of the Rainbow Cities Latin American Network is a sign of the Antioquian capital’s interest and commitment to the elimination of discrimination and to achieving an inclusive and friendly territory for the LGBTI population, and safety for women and girls.

If there is something that Jhon Jairo Gómez feels for the Medellín Mayor’s office, it is gratitude. He, who his friends know as Jota, has been a beneficiary, for more than five years, of different programs that gave him psychological support and attention. This support has helped him to accept himself as he is and to rebuild his life, as he was the victim of intra-urban displacement and other scourges, such as abuse and sexual violence.

The Centro para la Diversidad Sexual e Identidades de Género – Center for Sexual Diversity and Gender Identities is like home for him, where he feels happy, welcomed and respected. “Here, they helped me find meaning in my life. I began to paint. I exhibited my works and I have grown a lot as a human being,” he says.

Medellín is the 22nd city in the world to enter the UN Women “Safe Cities” program. It is the third in Latin America and the first in Colombia..

Like him, other gay men, lesbians and transsexuals have received differential and integral attention in the Center. This space, open to all types of public, was created based on the LGBTI public policy that protects their rights and demonstrates Medellín’s commitment to combat discrimination, homophobia and psychological and physical violence.

To move forward in that sense, through the Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellín and the Metropolitan Area, the opportunity to build strategies with other cities around sexual diversity and gender identity was identified. It was then when, in 2016, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Rosario, Montevideo, São Paulo, Bogotá and Medellín created the Rainbow Cities Latin American Network.

“Being in the Network means being a city that is friendly with diversity and exchanging knowledge and experiences to enrich the programs and actions we have for this population,” explains Paulina Suárez, Secretary for Social Inclusion.

ACI Medellín has accompanied and managed the visits of UN Women to learn how the city advances in providing security for women and girls.

Achievements of an Inclusive Territory

Today, Medellín has a strategic plan for its LGTBI public policy, with a 10-year projection, which seeks to improve the living conditions of these populations with services such as psychosocial support, legal advice and labor intermediation, as well as promoting actions that transform the social imaginaries about them:

  • The city works with an intersectional approach, that is, recognizing differences to provide each person attention that fits their situation.
  • Sensitization actions in private companies to put aside prejudices and provide job opportunities to these people; health days, and academic and cultural agendas on topics of interest, both for them and for the rest of the population.
  • Coordinated initiatives with the Secretariats of Health, Culture, Women, Private Sector, Economic Development, Communications and other institutions such as Fauds (Family and Friends United for Sexual and Gender Diversity) and Egocity to achieve actions that guarantee inclusion and protection of rights for LGBTI people.

 

Since 2012, more than 500 people have received psychosocial and LGBTI legal advice at the Center for Sexual and Gender Identity Diversity.

51 processes for ID registry and change of name for the transsexual population and more than 60 training workshops.

More than 50,000 people of all genders and identities participated in the Marcha
del Amor -March of Love, held on July 1, 2018.

Safe Spaces for Women and Girls

The compliments, lascivious glances, whistles and other sounds that women often receive in public spaces in Medellín generate  feelings in them, such as insecurity, fear, anger or displeasure, which makes them become more prepared and distrustful when they go on public transport, they walk down the street or when they visit spaces such as parks or outdoor gyms.

Aware of this situation, the Women’s Secretariat, with the accompaniment and management of ACI Medellín, managed to get the city into the Global Program of Safe Cities for Women and Girls of UN Women in 2015, an initiative to make visible and act in the face of harassment and sexual and gender violence in public spaces.

“Everything we did in Manrique was with the participation of women and girls. It was they who built the messages,” says Valeria Molina, Secretary for Women, who explains that they chose this Comuna to begin the program with, because it is the second with the largest number of men compared to the rest of the city. Also, of the 15 neighborhoods that make it up, 58% are considered vulnerables.

The implementation of the project has had these stages

2015

Exploratory study on security and gender violence in Comuna 3, Manrique.

2016

Construction of the logical framework on the perception of sexual harassment and violence against women and girls in public spaces.

2017 - 2018

Pilot test roll out with four components:

See: visualization of information through messages expressed in murals, bus stickers and educational material.

Understand: work with prioritized public members, women and girls, police, teachers, merchants and transporters.

Transform: field trips and conversations with citizens to generate awareness and changes facing this problem.

Manage: institutional articulation with other actors such as the secretariats of Security, Education
and Culture, Inder Medellín (Sports and Recreation),
the Metro and Corporación Con-Vivamos.

Secretaria de las Mujeres, Valeria Molina Gómez
Secretariat for Women, Valeria Molina Gómez.

“Everything we did in Manrique was with the participation of women and girls. It was they who built the messages,” says Valeria Molina, Secretary for Women, who explains that they chose this Comuna to begin the program with, because it is the second with the largest number of men compared to the rest of the city. Also, of the 15 neighborhoods that make it up, 58% are considered vulnerables.

After this experience, the Secretariat is working on the construction of a second baseline for three other comunas in the city, where it will identify aspects such as forms of sexual harassment, generated feelings and effects, frequency with which women suffer some form of harassment, places where there is more incidents and the general perception regarding violence and sexual harassment.

Medellín has been part of the UN’s Global Program of Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces for Women and Girls since 2015.

Medellín, with the guidelines of UN Women, has gone further. It has innovated and has become a benchmark in other parts of the world for its commitment and for being able to reach places such as public transport to build a safe territory for women and girls.

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Distrito Térmico de EPM Medellín

Thermal District: Green Infrastructure that Cares for the Air We Breathe in Medellín

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EPM makes affordable and non-polluting energy available to the community through the La Alpujarra Thermal District, a pioneering project in Latin America to take care of the planet.

“The first thermal district of Latin America is in Medellín,” “Medellín enters the wave of green facades” and “Pilot projects that fight global warming.” This is how the national media informed the world of the start-up of the first thermal district that was built in Medellín, a project providing, since 2016, air conditioning on demand to the buildings of the Medellín Mayor’s Office, the City Council, the Departmental Assembly, the Metropolitan Area and the Colombian Tax and Customs Authority.

“The district was designed to meet two objectives: to efficiently use air conditioning service and to eliminate polluting elements,” says Carlos Arturo Díaz Romero, Natural Gas Vice President of EPM.

The process produces cold water. It is transported to buildings and finally distributes air conditioning for the offices, with an efficient water circulation, without waste, from natural gas and electricity, as primary sources to produce thermal energy.

This achievement was made possible thanks to the EPM Group, with the support of the Economic Affairs Secretariat of Switzerland -Seco-, the Colombian Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the Presidential Cooperation Agency of Colombia -ACP- and under the coordination of ACI Medellín.

The La Alpujarra Thermal District has a capacity of 3,600 tons of refrigeration. Today, with customers who use air conditioning on demand, it is using 80% of its capacity.

A Success with a Local Seal

The use of thermal districts in the world is quite common, especially for the generation of heat during cold seasons. Switzerland, the United States, China, Denmark and many other nations have adopted this energy efficiency technology to slow down the growth of the carbon footprint.

In Medellín, a meeting of wills made it possible for this thermal district to become reality, with a particular fact: while these districts are commonly used for hotels, hospitals and private buildings in the rest of the world, here, the government sector was the first encouraged to implement this solution. “The customers believed, they bet on it, wanted to do things, waited patiently and now enjoy the results,” says Carlos Arturo Díaz.

From the beginning, there has been interest in replicating the system in other cities of the country, such as Bogotá, Cali, Barranquilla, Cartagena and Bucaramanga. If we consider that 75% of the population in Colombia lives in cities and that almost 70% of these are located below 1,500 meters above sea level, there is much potential for the use of cold, says the EPM vice president of Gas.

In addition to the service, this infrastructure has been designed for the purpose of fulfilling educational and didactic functions so that, in the future, other companies will implement it so that their projects do not start from scratch, but with the knowledge acquired from this first experience.

USD 6 millones en aportes de la Secretaría de Asuntos Económicos de Suiza.

An Environmental Oasis

A differentiating element in this successful case is the urban intervention. Located in a complex area of the city, with high traffic, surrounded by mechanics’ workshops and other businesses, it was a challenge to build an environmentally friendly construction, sustainable and connected to the integral renovation plan of the city center.

Thus, the work was not only of a technological nature, but also on the landscape. This is one of the aspects that amazes foreign visitors, since thermal districts are usually armored or hidden constructions. However, this one in Medellín is visible and stands out like a breath of oxygen in the middle of a highly mobile area.

Its construction is anti-noise, does not require any maintenance by customers and increases the usable space of the building, because it eliminates the need for installation of a chiller or water cooler.

The search to multiply this class of projects, even with other applications, continues. An example of this is under study in Urabá in order to take advantage of residual elements and organic waste to generate energy, in this case cold, for food preservation.

By implementing the district, the project contributes to the commitments of Colombia as part of the Montreal Protocol, to the goals of the Colombian Low Carbon Development Strategy and the Program for the Rational and Efficient Use of Energy. In addition, a seed is sown from a regional scope for the Earth’s preservation.

100% ozone depleting substances eliminated. Between 25% and 30% savings in energy consumption.

2004

Evaluation of technological developments to solve energy distribution of air conditioning. The distribution of frozen water from EPM to Plaza Mayor was implemented.

2012

EPM and the Ozone Technical Unit – UTO, in Spanish – of the Ministry for the Environment joined forces to replace equipment that works with ozone-depleting refrigerant substances, greenhouse gases and inefficient energy use, in buildings in the La Alpujarra sector.

2013

Alliance to develop the La Alpujarra Thermal District and promote policies and actions
in the country that allow replicating this type of projects.

2016

La Alpujarra Thermal District.
starts operations.

“An innovative experience” Jorge Londoño De La Cuesta

Jorge Londoño De la Cuesta
Jorge Londoño De la Cuesta, EPM General Manager.

 

Why is the EPM Thermal District a strategic project for the city and for the company? This initiative is part of the growth and search for new products and services portfolio of EPM, which leverages the strategy to favor competitive and sustainable territories based on energy efficiency processes, reduction of operating costs, customer loyalty and reduction of emissions that pollute the environment. This type of initiative drives the development of projects aimed at positioning Medellín as an innovative city.

How do you contribute toward the compliance of the SDGs? The Thermal District of EPM, when generating thermal energy using natural gas as fuel in a high efficiency afterburner system, is friendly to the environment. In addition, it is important to note that, with the implementation of the District in the La Alpujarra sector, 30% of greenhouse gases and 100% of emissions of substances that exhaust the ozone layer are reduced.

What has been the influence of the ACI Medellín in this type of initiatives, as a link between companies and local government institutions and foreign investors? These types of links are important and necessary because they provide security to investors when they see that, through these agencies, resources are directed for the execution of strategic projects for the community that reflect governability in the regions. Through institutions such as the ACI Medellín, it is possible to generate pedagogical scenarios to promote that external agents evidence environmental culture and innovation.

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Medellín, ciudad del aprendizaje

Medellín, A City for Learning

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Visiting the Fiesta del Libro – Book Festival – and attending a talk by authors; enrolling a child in the program of comprehensive childhood care Buen Comienzo; taking advantage of the benefits of information and communications technologies in a public library; or attending concerts or film shows in the Unidades de Vida Articulada UVA – Articulated Life Units – are some of the advantages of Learning Cities, a distinction that UNESCO awarded to Medellín on 2017 for promoting and ensuring inclusive, equitable, and quality education, promoting long life learning opportunities.

Having the opportunity to learn in parks, educational centers, libraries, museums, government programs and cultural events is a benefit of living in a territory that vibrates with knowledge.

By fulfilling the commitment to provide equity in education, the city is implementing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 and 11, making it a great achievement to integrate a vision that transcends schools and includes other public spaces of the city, available for people to enjoy and take advantage of.

“What UNESCO does is to recognize these good practices,” says the Secretary of Education, Luis Guillermo Patiño, who testifies to the benefits of being a participant in this achievement. He says this while walking through yet another of the spaces generated for the enjoyment of city residents: The Feria del Libro y la Cultura (The Book and Culture Festival), an annual event that takes place in the Botanical Gardens and that gathers a wide cultural program in the northern area of the city.

“ACI Medellín has been very important for the city, because it has acted as an articulating ally between Medellín, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Presidency of Colombia and UNESCO. It has helped us to weave these relationships, to show these networks abroad and to showcase the city to the world as one having quality education.” Luis Guillermo Patiño, Secretary of Education of Medellín.

Beyond Classrooms

Education in Medellín includes more than 400,000 students from public and private institutions and connects inhabitants of all ages through programs created to provide coverage to the population of all conditions and possibilities.

Buen Comienzo, En el Colegio Contamos con Vos, Escuela Entorno Protector and Alianzas con Vos are a few of the most outstanding programs, in addition to other alternatives such as schools for inclusion, youth clubs and higher education scholarships, Sapiensa, which are articulated with other secretariats and public and private institutions in order to generate significant environments.

Being a member of the Global Network of Learning Cities of UNESCO-GNLC-, to which only 14 Latin American countries belong, assures Medellín has access to benefits such as the transfer of knowledge with other cities in the world, the promotion of public education policies and provision skills and instruments for the stimulation of education.

The commitment of the community to maintain its participation in this select group is also fundamental. Its purpose is to achieve the dream of improving the quality of life of the inhabitants through the enjoyment of learning.

An educational possibility for every moment of life

Good Start

Children from gestation to 5 years

Serves children from gestation to five years of age, as well as pregnant and lactating mothers in vulnerable conditions, in the 16 communes and 5 townships of Medellín. It benefited more than 89,000 people in 2017.

Inclusion is with you

Children with learning difficulties

Guarantees the right to education, which goes beyond the allocation of the school quota, to access to education, enrollment and adaptation to the educational institution.

Forming Talents

Youth population

Prepares young people to develop their talents through activities that allow them to deepen their passions. The Medellín Mayor’s Office, in conjunction with Comfama, are the leading entities. In 2018, more than 1,754 places have been opened for job training courses.

Alliances with You, School Protective, Complementary Education and At School we Count on You

Children and young people

Alliances with You: strategic alliances involving universities, businesses and private schools that are committed to improving the quality of education in Medellín.

School Protective: supports educational institutions in the prevention of situations, such as school harassment, teenage pregnancy, sexual abuse, suicidal behavior, consumption of psychoactive substances and the use of minors by criminal groups. This program benefited 291,444 students from public schools in 2017.

Complementary Education: spaces for students to make creative use of their free time in areas such as science and technology, culture, environment, sports, citizenship training and bilingualism.

At School we Count on You: entails travel through the communes of the city in search of out of school children to introduce families to the school offer in order for their children to study. In 2017, the program identified 1,919 students who had dropped out of school and reintegrated them into the education system.

Teacher Innovation Center -Mova-, Sapiencia

Young people and adults

Mova, Teacher Innovation Center: trains teachers in teaching and learning methodologies in their areas of knowledge.

Sapiencia: manages public resources for the comprehensive education of citizens in higher education. This agency awarded 10,000 scholarships for technological programs related to the cluster sector of the city.

Digital Education Course

Senior adults

Training process in basic skills to develop in the digital world, improve the quality of life and promote access to technology.

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Centro para la Cuarta Revolución Colombia

ACI Medellín was key for the establishment of the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Colombia

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The internationalization of Medellin involves the construction of relationships and contacts with various entities around the world to positively activate the progress of the city. It is when ACI Medellín acquires a relevant value as a strategic organization for the attraction and establishment of new international entities, such as the first Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

This is the first Center of its kind to be based in a Latin American country. Medellín stands out for investing of 2.14% of its GDP in science, technology and innovation activities.

This process has been a path of dialogue and agreements with the World Economic Forum in which the national and local governments have set goals in the short and medium term to comply with the agreement. The first agreement is related to the efficiency of public entities through the implementation of artificial intelligence applications; the second will promote the appropriation of new technologies to develop the internet of things and thus consolidate smart cities; finally, a final agreement which focuses on prioritizing Blockchain-based solutions: digitization of information that will allow making decisions to streamline procedures in real time.

Together with Colombia, three more Centers for the Fourth Industrial Revolution will be established in Israel, Norway and the Arab Emirates.

All these advances and the commitment to make them a reality, require the support not only from the government but also from the private and academic sectors. Therefore, Medellín’s University-Business Sector-State Committee will be key to increase the competitiveness of the city to promote the development of regulations and policies at the service of all the countries of Latin America through the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Finally, after the announcement has been made official on January 23 at the 2019 World Economic Forum, the activities for the implementation of this Center in the Ruta N facilities will start. A specialized team will oversee the activities required for its establishment under the direction of the WEF together with the other Centers of the same category which already exist in the world: San Francisco (United States), Tokyo (Japan), Beijing (China) and Mumbai (India).

“This is a project of great importance for our country, we have worked constantly to make it a reality so that Medellin is the host city. Today I can say that we take a step forward towards the recognition of a new era that implies great advances but at the same time a great commitment. ACI Medellín will have a key role supporting the articulation with the World Economic Forum and meet the guidelines for its opening in the first semester of 2019,” said Catalina Restrepo Carvajal, Executive Director of ACI Medellín.

Iván Duque, Presidente de Colombia
From Davos, Switzerland, the President of Colombia, Iván Duque, announced the new Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution will be installed in Medellín.
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Huertas urbanas y rurales

Urban and rural kitchen gardens are an alternative in Medellín to increase food security

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Home grown crop

Every morning, Mr. Mario Pimienta finds motivation to get up early. He takes care of his cilantro, paprika, lettuce, chard and radish plants with the same devotion as he cares for his grandchildren or his family. It is a daily and patient ritual: planting, watering, scattering the soil and checking if his crops are ready to be shared at the table. He has reached sixty years of marriage, raised five children and is now retired from his work life. He makes his urban kitchen garden a reason to learn, eat healthy and enjoy a personal therapy to which he dedicates time and desire.

“It is a very pleasant experience, because I know I eat well, with vegetables without contaminants and with the joy of knowing that they are the result of my own effort,” explains Don Mario. Of all that he has sown in the twelve baskets of his backyard, he affirms, amid smiles, that he does not like radishes and that he would like to plant onions, his favorite.

Huertas con Vos also provides advice and technical support to crops that are the result of a personal or family effort. Thus, the Municipal Administration supplies the experience and the necessary human team to bring knowledge to the territories.

Huertas urbanas y sociales
Mario Pimienta and his urban garden in the Comuna 9
of Medellín, Buenos Aires.

This dream of having a piece of the farm within his house, in the east of Medellín, was born the day he heard from the voice of his neighbors that the Medellín Mayor’s Office had a program to grow vegetables at home for everyday consumption.

He was encouraged, attended the theoretical and practical workshops, and finally received the tool kit consisting of a rake, watering can, plastic bag, fertilizer and seeds.

This is how Huertas con Vos (Urban and Rural Kitchen Gardens with you) operates. It is a program of the Municipal Administration that guarantees the consumption of healthy, varied, sufficient and planned products. For the Secretary of Social Inclusion, Paulina Suárez Roldán, “this initiative improves food security conditions, achieves savings per family and per month close to COP$70,000, strengthens family relationships and builds a social fabric.”

These orchards, rather than generators of sufficient and healthy food, are infrastructure, economic development, agricultural support, education, health, social work and an incentive to explore new and diverse gastronomic preparations.

Sustainable and Productive Indoors

To be part of Huertas con Vos, you need the availability of at least 10 square meters of the terrace, patio or green area in the urban area and 100 square meters in the rural area. You must also fill out a document in current calls, attend workshops where participants learn everything from how to plant to how to enrich meals and accompany the process of growth, as well as, to harvest and care for plants with biocompounds and biopreparations.

Esteban Gallego Restrepo, director of Food Security of the Medellín Mayor’s Office, explains that “this project is sustainable, has indicators and provides people with skills so they can appropriate and continue with their gardens over time.”

When the family harvest is so productive that it exceeds 50 kilograms, generated surpluses can be used for marketing and sale. With this Alianza por el Buen Vivir (Alliance for Good Living), the two most vulnerable links in the production chain are supported: family farmers and the final consumer, by improving sales conditions, for the former, and offering the latter, a quality product at a very good price.

This local experience has been advised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), so hat income is generated with agroproductive models and the results are visible to the world, in order to find the best international partners in its execution.

This is an associative, democratic and solidary model that makes it possible, for example, for family members to sell 14 tons of Creole potatoes every month to school restaurants in the city.

In this fashion, we work from Medellín, in conjunction with other programs, to meet the nutritional needs of the most vulnerable, eradicate extreme hunger and malnutrition, and facilitate access to nutritious and sufficient food throughout the year.

An urban kitchen garden:

  • Green curly lettuce
  • Purple cabbage
  • Tomato
  • Radish
  • Paprika
  • Chard Beet
  • Carrot

An rural kitchen garden:

  • Green curly lettuce
  • Purple curly lettuce
  • Green cabbage
  • Purple cabbage
  • Tomato
  • Carrot
  • Beet
  • Cucumber
  • Cilantro
  • Chard
  • Zucchini
  • Red onion
  • Radish
  • Red bean
  • Pea
  • Bean
  • Curuba
  • Lulo
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