The social, cultural, economic and environmental transformation of Medellín in recent years has once again received the recognition of the world by obtaining the award given by Netexplo, an international digital area trend observatory, sponsored by UNESCO, that highlights how the city has focused on the most vulnerable populations, while attracting entrepreneurs, tourists and encouraging innovation.
Netexplo, an international observatory in the digital world, sponsored by UNESCO, awarded the prize.
The award explicitly points out how, only three decades ago, the city was named “the most dangerous in the world” by Time magazine, and now in a short period of time, it has become a role model for cities with troubled pasts that seek to reinvent themselves.
This recognition is added to the recognition of the Artistic and Cultural Practices Network delivered by the international network United Cities and Local Governments.
This recognition emphasizes on Medellín becoming a part of “second level cities”, offering a niche value proposal, different from the one provided by the large international intelligent “mega cities”.
This positioning resonates with the aspirations of younger generations to have a more inclusive, diverse and authentic living environment.
Likewise, the communicative and marketing component of the city stands out by offering an attractive combination of a privileged location, climate, transport and technological infrastructures, affordability and a favorable business environment.
The executive director of the ACI Medellín Eleonora Betancur, said that these types of awards are: “a strategic instrument that greatly contributes to the city’s positioning in an international scenario, promoting and disseminating the lessons the city has learned regarding different topics. In this case, specifically, we see the importance of strengthening socio-economic development by improving the quality of life in the different social and human spheres”.
Other cities that received this recognition in different categories are: Austin, United States, for mobility; Espoo, Finland, data management; Santiago, Chile for financing; Shenzhen, China, transportation networks; Singapore for Zero Carbon Footprint; Surat, India, resilience; Tallinn, Estonia by digital transformation and Vienna, Austria for habitat.
UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization whose goal is to establish peace through international cooperation in education, science and culture. Its programs contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals defined in the 2030 Agenda, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015.
Netexplo is the international observatory of trends in the digital world, based in Paris, under the patronage of the Senate and the French Ministry of Economy, as well as UNESCO, which, since 2007, tracks and identifies the main innovations and trends to make them available to cities and businesses in order to help them in their digital transformation.
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