global leaders and experts will discuss local development; here is the agenda
📅 🕐 08 Jul 2025🔗 Fuente: eltiempo.com🕑 6 min de lectura
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Barranquilla will host the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Local Development Forum from July 8 to 11, 2025, a world-class event that will be held in Latin America for the first time and promises to be a milestone in the global debate on sustainable territorial development.
LEA TAMBIÉN
With the theme “Global inspiration, local transformation,” this edition of the Forum, organized in partnership between the OECD and the District Mayor’s Office of Barranquilla, will bring together more than 3,400 registered participants from 95 countries, including delegations from the United States, France, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, Japan, Nigeria, Chile, Argentina, and Canada, as well as representatives from multilateral organizations such as the UN, OAS, IDB, CAF, and JICA.
For four days, the city will be the epicenter of an international dialogue focused on the contemporary challenges facing regions and innovative responses from the local level.
Topics such as the ecological transition, digitalization, changes in the world of work, the care economy, territorial governance, and new inclusive economic models will set the agenda.
Barranquilla is a city that has undergone an urban transformation. Foto:Alcaldía
A diverse, structured, and high-level agenda
The event will have two key moments:
July 8 and 11: parallel events organized by the OECD’s strategic partners.
July 9 and 10: development of the Forum’s official agenda, with panels, immersive workshops, plenary sessions, keynote speeches, and field visits.
Tuesday, July 8: parallel events
From 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., more than 15 organizations will lead spaces for dialogue and reflection on economic development, sustainability, inclusion, and the social economy. Participating entities include:
ECLAC, Cooperatives of the Americas, ICLEI
Executive Secretariat for Integral Development of the OAS
CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean
Inter-American Development Bank
Humboldt Institute
Invest Network
UN Colombia
RAP Caribbean
Chambers of Commerce of Barranquilla and Bogotá, among others.
These spaces will be available only to those who have registered in advance.
Wednesday, July 9: Official opening and main agenda
The opening day will feature the following speakers:
Alejandro Char, Mayor of Barranquilla.
Yoshiki Takeuchi, Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD.
Luis Fernando Medina Sierra, Ambassador of Colombia to the OECD.
Eduardo Verano de la Rosa, Governor of Atlántico.
The following will take place during the day:
High-level plenary sessions
Thematic panels
Immersive workshops
Global networking
The Local Initiatives Market, a space to present successful projects for territorial transformation.
At 5:30 p.m., one of the most anticipated moments of the Forum will take place: the Interactive Policy Lab, led by renowned academic Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, a world leader in urban studies and regional development.
Rodríguez-Pose is a professor at the London School of Economics and tops the ranking of most influential scientists in his field, according to Stanford University.
Thursday, July 10: field visits and keynote address
El Gran Malecón seeks to connect the city with its river to promote urban and tourist development.. Foto:Vanexa Romero/ El Tiempo
The day will begin with tours of successful transformation initiatives in Barranquilla. International delegates will visit:
El Gran Malecón del Río,
The urban beach of Puerto Mocho,
The Mallorquín swamp,
The Barrio Abajo neighborhood and its cultural circuit,
Companies such as Tecnoglass,
The AudacIA Artificial Intelligence Center,
The Villas de San Pablo project in partnership with the Santo Domingo Foundation.
In the afternoon, starting at 1:15 p.m., thematic workshops will be held on innovation, the nighttime economy, inclusion, the care economy, city branding, and digital transformation.
The day will conclude with a keynote speech by economist Xavier Sala-i-Martin, professor at Columbia University and creator of the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index.
Considered one of the most influential voices in innovation and economic development, his presentation will be one of the highlights of the Forum.
Friday, July 11: Closing parallel events
From 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Forum partners will once again lead thematic sessions, this time focusing on youth, social innovation, entrepreneurship, and the solidarity economy.
These spaces will also be available only to registered participants.
Alejandro Char is the Barranquilla major. Foto:Sergio Cárdenas. EL TIEMPO
The Forum is part of the OECD’s LEED (Local Economic and Employment Development) program, which seeks to strengthen local development policies, territorial innovation, and institutional capacity building.
This edition represents a unique opportunity to showcase transformative experiences from Latin America, and especially Colombia and the Caribbean, to the international community.
Distinguished guests
Colombia’s Minister of Labor, Antonio Sanguino, will also participate in the event. Foto:Néstor Gómez. El Tiempo
In addition to Rodríguez-Pose and Sala-i-Martin, the following speakers will participate in the event:
Lamia Kamal-Chaoui, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, OECD.
Kim Osborne, OAS.
Mireia Villar Forner, UN Coordinator for Colombia.
Akihiko Yamada, JICA, Japan.
Claudio Orrego, Governor of the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, Chile.
Mayrenis Corniel, Deputy Minister of Labor, Dominican Republic.
Antonio Sanguino, Minister of Labor, Colombia.
Natalia Molina, Director of the National Planning Department.
Jorge Eduardo Londoño, Director of SENA.
Jessyn Farrell, Deputy Mayor of Seattle, United States.
Juan Manuel Rojas, President of Promigas.
From the local level, the following will also be present: Carlos Fernando Galán, Mayor of Bogotá; Alejandro Eder, Mayor of Cali; Hugo Kerguelén, Mayor of Montería; and leaders from Arauca, Popayán, Riohacha, Mocoa, and Yopal.
The mayor of Bogota, Carlos Fernando Galán, will also participate in the event. Foto:Claudia Rubio/ EL TIEMPO
The district administration of Barranquilla will also have a prominent role, with officials such as Ana María Aljure, city manager; Paola Amar, secretary of education; Ángelo Cianci, secretary of urban control; and Juan José Jaramillo, manager of Carnaval S.A.S.
The event will be held entirely in person and will feature simultaneous translation in Spanish and English. Admission will be restricted to pre-registered attendees only. All attendees must present their ID and the QR code sent by email before July 7 to enter and claim their badge.
Registration will begin each day at 7:45 a.m., so it is recommended to arrive at least one hour in advance. For questions, please contact: [email protected] and [email protected].
LEONARDO HERRERA
EL TIEMPO
Editor’s note: This text is an artificially intelligent English translation of the original Spanish version, which can be found here. Any comment, please write to [email protected]
