2023 Cities Summit of the Americas
The Cities Summit promoted regional cooperation, convening subnational leaders from across the entire Western Hemisphere with diverse and inclusive representatives of government, civil society, business, academia, youth, culture and the arts, and indigenous and underrepresented groups.
City and community leaders met at the Colorado Convention Center throughout the week of April 24, with official events starting April 26, 2023.
Events included plenary sessions, stakeholder roundtables, expert panels, networking sessions, commercial engagements, and public outreach activities, all to address a range of priorities local communities across the Americas share.
The 2023 Cities Summit of the Americas was held in Denver, Colorado. With robust connections across the hemisphere, thriving and resilient business and cultural communities, and a commitment to sustainability, Denver and Colorado exemplify the best in city-and state-level innovation.
Over 2,500 subnational leaders convened in Denver to participate in more than 65 sessions and 40 supporting events throughout the city. The U.S. Department of State, the City of Denver, the State of Colorado, and the Biennial of the Americas thank all representatives of government, civil society, business, academia, youth, culture and the arts, and indigenous and underrepresented groups that participated in this historic event.
HIghlights
HIghlights
DECLARATIONS & INITIATIVES
The Cities Summit of the Americas provided opportunities to create new social and economic partnerships that address the global challenges we all face at the local level. Over three days, mayors from the Americas launched initiatives that promote collaboration, sustainability, inclusivity, and democracy across the region.
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Over 50 mayors and civic representatives from across the Americas signed the Denver Declaration, committing to individually and collectively address housing and sustainable development, migration, climate action through effective finance and investment, technology, and transparent, good governance. Read the Denver Declaration: English / Spanish / Portuguese
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The U.S. Department of State, ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, Resilient Cities Catalyst, and The Institute of the Americas gathered in a collaborative partnership for the Cities Forward initiative, a transformative program that will help Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) cities create sustainable, inclusive, and resilient futures with knowledge sharing from U.S. cities. Learn More about Cities Forward.
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Launched by the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Eduardo Paes, the network expands on the work of 26 Brazilian cities to promote collaboration on anti-racist initiatives, inclusivity in municipal governance and best practices learned in tackling racism. Interested in learning how your city can get involved? Interested mayors and city officials can reach out to info@biennialoftheamericas.org to learn more.
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Approaching the one-year mark of this effort, the declaration proposed by the Global Parliament of Mayors, the Pact of Free Cities, and GMF Cities has signatures by more than 200 mayors from across the globe. View Participant Mayors & Declaration.
cities summit for youth
More than 100 partial scholarships were issued to bring together youth leaders to participate in policy and innovation sessions in Denver for the Cities Summit of the Americas for Youth, welcoming 225 participants from 29 countries from across the Americas. Participants are invited to apply to the Youth Congress for Sustainable Americas, an extensive network of more than 80 activists and leaders tackling issues on public diplomacy and sustainability in the Western Hemisphere.
Arts & CUlture
The Biennial of the Americas gathered Latin America's creative talent with Fábrica de Arte Américas and Caravana Americana from April 26-30.
Fábrica de Arte Américas hosted over 100 visual and performance artists at the Slate Denver Warehouses while the internationally-acclaimed design fair Caravana Americana traveled to Denver for its first U.S. fair, accompanied by 25 of the best emerging and established designers.
The cultural warehouse welcomed over 8,000 guests and visitors after an exceptionally successful week.
