Parliamentarians from Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Colombia held their ordinary sessions of the Andean Parliament in our city between February 23 and 25. Since 2018 the city had not received this prestigious Andean institution to discuss issues related to the transformation of the region.
The parliamentarians had the meetings by commissions talking about issues of technology, internationalization, sustainability, energy and economy, among many others. They also participated in the International Forum on Solidarity Economy and Cooperativism, a space to exchange experiences of different actors in the sector, as well as problems and proposals for lines of work to strengthen the development of the popular and solidarity economy and cooperativism at national and international level.
For Juan Camilo Mergesh, executive director of the ACI Medellín, “the Andean Parliament has become a vital body for debating laws and strengthening Andean and Latin American integration, as well as sharing good practices of each of the countries that make it up. For this reason, I am proud that they have chosen Medellín to hold the ordinary sessions and also to make city tours especially in renewable and sustainable energy projects, something that we can teach other territories in the region and the world.”
The congressmen’s agenda included meetings with the Mayor of Medellín, Daniel Quintero Calle, EPM executives, District Councilors and a tour of EPM’s facilities and a visit to the Guatapé hydroelectric project.
Speech by Gloria Flórez, President of the Andean Parliament
The Andean Parliament was created in 1979 in Bolivia, as an instance of political control of the Andean Integration System whose mission is to harmonize the laws of the region; guarantee citizen participation; strengthen Andean and Latin American integration; regionalize good government practices and State policies; as well as strengthen Andean identity and culture.
