The XXXII General Assembly of MINURVI, the Forum of Ministers and High-Level Authorities of Housing and Urbanism of Latin America and the Caribbean, was held in Buenos Aires on 9 and 10 November 2023. During the meeting, 21 countries signed the Buenos Aires Declaration, highlighting the need to increase funding for climate change adaptation programmes and measures in cities.

In the declaration, authorities committed to addressing qualitative and quantitative housing deficits through new approaches that promote more efficient use of real estate and urbanised land, with special attention to inclusiveness and gender mainstreaming. They also agreed to implement policies to avoid excessive growth in land prices and to develop instruments to capture land value. In addition, they worked on promoting sustainable, smart, and inclusive urban mobility, as well as strengthening the integrality of urban and mobility planning.

The forum was attended by representatives from 21 Latin American and Caribbean countries, together with UN agencies, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), the World Bank and delegates from civil society organisations. The forum once again highlighted the need to strengthen inter-institutional coordination for the development, financing and implementation of policies towards inclusive and sustainable growth in the region's cities.

For more information on the 32nd MINURVI General Assembly, please click on the link in the right column.

To view the recording and final declaration of the Assembly, please go to the "Event Information - Attachments" section of this page.

This event offers an opportunity to place crucial topics for the future of our cities on the discussion agenda, including the link between sustainable mobility, housing, and urban development.

The project "Inclusive, Sustainable, and Smart Cities within the Framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean,", part of the CEPAL-BMZ/GIZ cooperation program, focuses on strengthening the technical and institutional conditions to promote development in urban areas of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Additionally, CEPAL, MINURVI, MERCOCIUDADES, and the IDB share concerns about having more detailed information to improve the design and implementation of public policies, subsidies, and financing for addressing housing deficits.

Within this context, two sessions are proposed with the participation of national authorities, local governments, and representatives from financial organizations and development support institutions. The panels aim to facilitate dialogue and discussion between local and national levels, with the goal of promoting better urban public policies.

For more information about the event, please click on the link in the right column.

With the aim of sharing experiences and fostering debate on housing, habitat and urban development in Latin America and the Caribbean, MINURVI's virtual discussion forums were held during September and October 2023, led by the Ministry of Housing, City and Territory of Colombia, which assumed the vice-presidency of MINURVI for the period 2023. The three Forums focused on central themes such as energy, territory, land management and climate change mitigation in relation to housing and urban development.

National and sub-national governments in the region were invited to submit experiences and good practices to nurture the exchange of experiences and in preparation for the XXXII MINURVI General Assembly to be held on 9 and 10 November in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The topics and dates of the Forums were:

The recording of the event (in Spanish) is available by clicking on the attached link.