UNCRD actively supports the Bogotá-Cundinamarca Regional Planning Board in the implementation of the project "Building Institutional Capacity for the Integrated Regional Development of Bogota-Cundinamarca" (B-C), whose main objective is building capacity among the wide diversity of jurisdictions and stakeholders acting in the study area for collaborative management, and working together in the economic, social and environmental development of their territory. The process has involved building consensus on their problems and priority issues to be addressed, a shared vision of the future of their region, the joint identification of strategic actions and projects to address critical threats and obstacles faced, and the implementation of these projects. The region comprises Bogotá, the capital city, with around 7 million people, and the State of Cundinamarca with about 2 million, and comprises 116 municipalities. All are territorial entities with jurisdictional and administrative autonomy, and there are no existing regional authorities responsible for managing cross-jurisdictional and cross-sectoral issues.

The project has already provided relevant lessons and results, and a model that can be replicated in other regions. The LAC Office has received several requests from governments and regional development institutions in Colombia, Argentina, and Chile to share the experience with them and to support similar processes in their regions. In the first semester of 2004, the LAC Office hosted several conferences on the theme in the Antioquia-Medellin region and the coffee-growing region (Colombia); Cordoba, Neuquen, and Buenos Aires (in Argentina) and Santiago (in Chile).

To respond to the existing demand for technical cooperation support, UNCRD-LAC launched a South-South Cooperation Programme, centered on the creation of a coalition of Latin American regions interested in developing integrated regional development. A workshop will be held in September 2004 to exchange experiences, knowledge and information, define agreements to implement specific initiatives with interested parties, and explore possibilities of international technical cooperation. Another expected output of the workshop is the identification of institutional nodes to establish an interregional cooperation network. This event will have the participation of mayors, governors, ministries, regional NGOs, national and international university training centres, and international development agencies.