The Inter-American Development Bank and the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro will sponsor a conference of Latin American and Caribbean mayors and experts called "Municipal Initiatives for Prevention and Treatment of Violence", in Rio de Janeiro, July 29-30.
IDB President Enrique V. Iglesias and the mayor of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Luiz Paulo Conde, will open the sessions at the Hotel Glória Rio on Thursday July 29, at 9:30 a.m. After this ceremony, the first day of the meeting will consist of closed sessions, where the mayors of the main cities of the region and international experts will analyze ways to reduce urban violence. The mayors will discuss violence prevention strategies and how to foster collaboration among the municipal governments on this critical issue.
A documentary produced by the IDB will illustrate the magnitude of violence in Latin America and the Caribbean and its cost in terms of economic, social and human development.
Titled "From Rage to Recovery: Societies Search for Peace", the video seeks to awaken the consciousness of communities, the private sector, nongovernment organizations, and governments to the importance of dealing with the deeply rooted problem of violence in the Western Hemisphere. The video is designed to encourage debate and preventive activities, especially at the municipal and community level.
On the second day of the conference, mayors, their technical teams, and other experts will share successful crime prevention and control initiatives such as limiting risk factors, the adoption of new models of intervention like community police, and municipal programs for violence prevention in the areas of health, education and the media.
There will be examples from Latin American countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile and El Salvador, and also presentations by international experts from diverse United States and South African cities.