|  ElCiudadano.cl |  Noticias

El Ciudadano

Original article: Decenas de dirigentes y autoridades se reúnen en el primer encuentro de articulación territorial de la región de Valparaíso

Scores of Leaders and Officials Gather for the First Territorial Coordination Meeting in Valparaíso Region

On Saturday, June 20, an important meeting took place on Artillería Hill in Valparaíso, featuring over 50 officials, leaders, and independent activists from the region. The gathering aimed to establish a joint political and social agenda for the development of various territories, under the slogan «from the territories, we build the future.»

Valparaíso Governor Rodrigo Mundaca assessed the event as a «very important regional coordination meeting, emphasizing that we must organize around matters of common sense: defending democracy, human rights, peace, justice, and promoting deeper decentralization, which changes people’s lives. These are issues that reflect common sense, and all of us gathered here today in Valparaíso understand that maintaining this common sense is essential.»

The meeting successfully brought together leaders from artisanal fishing, health, environmental, union, and cultural sectors, along with regional governors, mayors, and councilors from Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Olmué, Villa Alemana, La Ligua, El Quisco, Catemu, Putaendo, Limache, Quintero, Puchuncaví, and Casablanca.

«Many of us, from various spaces, have organized politically in collectives and organizations. We cannot afford to be complacent, especially when extreme right forces are in power. We must remain united, to protect ourselves and to live without fear,» remarked Anna Tim, a scholar and activist advocating for human rights and against gender-based violence.

The goal of this gathering was for independent political and social actors to collaborate on an alternative based on territorial, political, and social work to counteract the regressive measures of President Kast’s administration and to propose concrete actions for a better future for all territories.

Rodrigo Díaz, Mayor of Catemu, participated in the event and stated, «This is the ground from which everything should start, always from the grassroots level. If we look at what has happened recently, the current situation is directly related to forgetting the grassroots and establishing discourse without any foundation.»

The meeting was characterized as the regional chapter of a national initiative to unify movements, organizations, and public leaders, including Matías Toledo, Mayor of Puente Alto; Fabiola Campillai, Senator of the Metropolitan Region; Joel Olmos, Mayor of La Cisterna; Mauricio Quiroz, Mayor of Putaendo; Rodrigo Díaz, Mayor of Catemu; and the Regional Governor of Valparaíso, Rodrigo Mundaca.

Finally, Rodrigo Faúndez, a leader in the environmental movement in the region, emphasized, «From here, we want to send a message that we stand united, that we are coming together, and that from this first meeting, we are gradually beginning to converge to create a common force, to tell the country that this region indeed defends what has been achieved for democracy, including the rights of people and their territories.»

La entrada Scores of Leaders and Officials Gather for the First Territorial Coordination Meeting in Valparaíso Region se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.