The Mayor of Merida, Renan Barrera Concha, participated in the First Congress for the Internationalization of Mexican Municipalities organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he assured that the city councils are willing to work to include themselves in global agendas and create international collaborative ties to promote tourism activity in the country.
At the inauguration of the First Congress, Barrera Concha, who attended as Mayor of Merida and President of the Association of Capital Cities of Mexico (ACCM), presented the concerns of the group in light of the decrease in strategies focused on promoting tourism in the cities, especially with the disappearance of the Tourism Promotion Council, which meant the end of the consolidation of Mexico as a destination for international visitors.
For his part, the Secretary of Foreign Relations, Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, reiterated that they are working to continue creating links and work agendas so that cities can continue building relationships with multinational companies to promote economic spillover and employment.
He also stressed that they are working on the recovery of economies after this pandemic, through multinational efforts to create new collaborations between countries.
Upon attending as a guest of the Foreign Ministry for the inauguration ceremony and participation in the work tables, the Mayor of Merida indicated that, in the absence of a Tourism Promotion Council, these national and international collaboration efforts will be necessary to generate greater economic flow and more sources of employment.
This event, whose purpose is to present to the municipalities the programs and projects offered by the Ministry of Foreign Relations to meet their needs from an international perspective and provide a space for the country’s municipalities to listen to the various projects and areas of opportunity, Barrera Concha informed that Mérida held a respectful and cordial dialogue with the ambassadors of the sister countries of Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe, to make them aware of the advantages and strengths of Mérida.
Our capital cities, he added, wish to consolidate this type of synergies with the embassies of the different countries with dignified representation in Mexico, such as the meetings we have held in Merida with ministers, delegates, representatives and ambassadors from countries such as France, Vietnam and Korea.
He explained that Merida has a relevant importance in the diplomatic field since 11 consulates of foreign nations are established in the city, such as: France, Lebanon, Belize, Korea, Germany, Cyprus, Cuba, Spain, Honduras, United States of America and Colombia.
“We are in the best disposition to join, from an international perspective, every action of our local governments, coordinating with the representations of Mexico in the world, joining the substantive agendas in economic, political, cultural and linkage issues, promoting our best strategies for promotion abroad,” he reiterated.
If we want to position our cities on a global level, he added, it will be necessary to generate, through our local agendas, greater opportunities for development and participation of Mexico’s municipalities in the processes of integration and globalization in the world.
He pointed out that the ACCM, which brings together 21 Mexican mayors from different cities, who govern a population of 20 million people, is working to build a new model of municipal management that will make it possible to demonstrate the unquestionable contributions and true value of each of the country’s municipalities.
After thanking as an association the interest and open disposition of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, the Mayor of Merida considered it important to continue strengthening the municipalist vision as a form of territorial and administrative government and as an ideal space for governmental innovation in the global context.
“We envision the internationalization of our local governments by taking advantage of the opportunities that diplomacy itself offers us in the global context, to demonstrate our strengths in the construction of our own internationalization strategies,” he continued.
He recalled that, in the particular case of Merida, this year it was ranked 4th among the best cities to travel to in the world by the international magazine “Condé Nast Traveler”, a distinction that positioned the city alongside international destinations such as Singapore, Bangkok, Tokyo and Quebec.
Finally, the inauguration protocol was attended by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Ximena Escobedo Juárez, General Director of Political Coordination; Luis Bernardo Nava Guerrero, Mayor of Querétaro, Querétaro and Vice President of the National Association of Mayors of Mexico (ANAC); Abelina López Rodríguez, Mayor of Acapulco, Guerrero and Secretary General of the Association of Local Authorities of Mexico (AALMAC); César Garza Villareal, Mayor of Apodaca, Nuevo León and President of the National Conference of Municipalities of Mexico (CONAMM); and Fernando Gustavo Flores Fernández, Mayor of Metepec, State of Mexico and Vice President of the Association of Municipalities of Mexico (AMMAC).
TYT Newsroom
