The Municipal Secretary for International Affairs, Marta Suplicy, met with the Consul General of Chile in São Paulo, Minister-Counselor Juan Carlos Salazar-Álvarez, this Wednesday (02). The meeting´s objective was to discuss the further introduction of electric buses in São Paulo, through a partnership with the company ENEL X Brasil. Deputy Secretary of International Affairs, Ambassador Débora Barenboim-Salej, and Coordinator of International Affairs, Francisco Castro, also participated.

During the meeting, the Chilean Consul General informed that the partnership between ENEL X and Chile first took place in 2017, and was the first experience for the implementation of electric buses in the country. The initiative began with a hundred vehicles and has nowadays over 2000 buses, the largest electromobility Infrastructure in Latin America.

The model implemented in the Chilean capital is a reference to São Paulo, which seeks to invest more in the use of electric vehicles. In 2018, São Paulo´s Municipal Administration implemented Bill Nº 14.933/2018, Article 50, which demands the reduction of polluting gas emissions of municipal public transport. Since then, the capital has been investing in sustainable electric mobility. In addition, São Paulo has a municipal directive to reduce the emission of greenhouse gas, through the initiative "Towards Carbon Zero", of PlanClima SP. One of the main objectives of the proposition is to increase electric efficiency, in addition to stimulating active mobility and collective transport moved by non-fossil fuels.

Innovation and technology was also one of the subjects of the meeting, the Chilean experience in the construction of the Biobío Science and Technology Park (PACyT), known as Silicon Valley of Chile. This space is located in the center of Chile and was built in partnership with the Universidade de Concepción. The country’s objective is to create a digital research and innovation hub. Amongst other plans, is the creation of an area of native forest for its conservation. According to Secretary Marta Suplicy, this experience in Chile could be a model for the city of São Paulo.

As the meeting unfolded, the Secretary of International Affairs proposed a Friendship and Cooperation Agreement between the cities of São Paulo and Santiago, directed to the themes of urban mobility, environment and sustainability, urban planning and human rights.

Bilateral Relations

São Paulo and Chile had partnerships previously - in 2019, the Municipal Department of International Relations (SMRI) articulated a mission in Santiago, for the exchange of experiences for the implementation of the Citizenship and Human Rights Museum in the capital of São Paulo. In the same year, Mayor Bruno Covas received, in the City Hall Cabinet, the Ambassador of Chile, Fernando Schmidt Ariztía, and the General Consul of Chile in São Paulo at that time, Alejandro Sfeir.