Gustavo Petro met with Chicago council members: he spoke about peace, climate change and human rights

Gustavo Petro began his visit to the United States, where he will have an intense agenda of meetings – credit Juan Diego Cano/Presidency of the Republic

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has begun his visit to the United States, where he will spend several days in an intense program of meetings that address crucial issues for his administration and the future of Latin America.

Petro arrived in Chicago accompanied by several members of his cabinet, and met with the Progressive Caucus, a group of city council members who advocate for a more equal and fair city.

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At the meeting, the Colombian president stressed the importance of discussing issues of global relevance: “We talked about peace, climate change, social justice and human rights“, Petro said, highlighting the relevance of these issues on the current international agenda.

The Colombian president arrived in Chicago with several members of his cabinet and met with the Progressive Caucus – credit Juan Diego Cano/Presidency of the Republic

One of the main points of his speech was energy consumption in the United States and Latin America. According to Petro, the United States consumes approximately 1,200 gigawatts per year, while Latin America has the potential to generate up to 1,500 gigawatts per year.

In this context, The president mentioned the possibility of attracting investments close to 500 billion dollars that could be allocated to the region.although he expressed frustration that those funds have been prioritized for domestic energy consumption in the United States.

“Whoever has the energy has the power,” said the head of state, questioning North America’s reluctance to cede resources to the south of the continent.

Petro highlighted energy inequality, mentioning that the United States consumes 1,200 gigawatts – credit Juan Diego Cano/Presidency of the Republic

Chicago aldermen Carlos Ramirez Rosa and Byron Sigcho Lopez expressed their excitement about the Colombian president’s visit. Ramirez Rosa said, “The president is a very intelligent man, I am very excited to meet him… bringing here a task of collaborative spirit to face the great issues of the world, such as the climate crisis.”

For his part, Byron Sigcho López highlighted the importance of discussing bilateral collaborations, especially in the field of renewable energy: “We are very happy to have the president here in Chicago. As alderman of district 25, which has many immigrant residents, we are very happy to discuss bilateral collaboration, especially in renewable energy and the potential that Latin America has to generate clean energy, green energy.”

Byron Sigcho López, Chicago City Councilman, highlighted Gustavo Petro’s visit to the United States and detailed the issues discussed in a bilateral meeting with the Progressive Caucus – credit: Presidency of the Republic

Petro’s agenda in the United States includes his participation in the 79th UN General Assembly in New York, where he will speak next Tuesday, September 24. The head of state will focus on issues such as the climate crisis, drug policy and peace, while sharing a space with other world leaders. He also has scheduled a meeting with Colombian residents there and a fair for Colombian entrepreneurs in Chicago.

During his stay in New York, Petro will meet with the UN Secretary General, António Guterresto discuss COP16, which will be held in Cali between October 21 and November 1. He will also address the implementation of his ‘Total Peace’ policy and initiatives related to the fight against drug trafficking, focusing on supporting affected communities.

In addition to his speech at the UN, the Colombian president will participate in the Summit of the Future, where topics of digital transformation and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) will be discussed. At this event, he is expected to share his vision of Colombia’s role in the international community and its commitment to sustainability.

His speech at the UN will focus on not leaving anyone behind and promoting peace, sustainable development and human dignity – credit Juan Diego Cano/Presidency of the Republic

On the day of his speech at the Assembly, President Petro will be the seventh to speak in a debate with the central theme ‘Leaving no one behind: acting side by side to promote peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations’. This approach resonates with the objectives of his Government, which seeks not only to address the internal situation in Colombia, but also to contribute to the solution of global problems.