Pertinent and very important is the forum organized by the Cesar Family Compensation Fund, Comfacesar, called “Cesar Economically Sustainable”. The presentations presented by Alejandro Reyes, Jaime Bonet Morón and José Antonio Larrazábal, described the economic and geopolitical trends shown by the international context and the economic situation of the department of Cesar and Valledupar, with their respective strategies and impacts, to awaken the territory’s economy with actions .
The first approach undertaken by Comfacesar aims to build spaces for dialogue that contribute to the economic and social aspects of Valledupar and the department. It is unavoidable that these initiatives resonate in the eardrums of the political, academic, union and citizen classes, so that those in charge of the famous public policies do not waste the inputs provided by these processes.
Gastón Berger, one of the founders of foresight, defined it as “the science that studies the future to understand it and be able to influence it.” In that sense we must think about our territory, in order to move from diagnosis to strategic execution. Governments and rulers are required that understand an important mission, which consists of asking ourselves the following questions: where are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? Where do we want to go? and where can we go?
It is dangerous to continue on the path of attending to what is urgent instead of working for what is important. It is time to build a long-term Strategic Plan (30 or 40 years), based on a methodological exercise that requires the intervention of multidisciplinary professions, former mayors, inter-institutional participation, tools and communication capabilities with articulation with the national order, to plan and manage the territory, in order to identify the potential, limitations and trends that promote a new culture with concrete actions in a sustainable, viable and efficient way.
The lessons of the cotton boom and the coal boom must serve as relearning variables. Both phenomena arose due to the benefits of nature, but they lacked a strategic structure that had the possibility of transcending towards agroindustry or development through the good use and exploitation of royalties.
An unresolved task is the definition of the economic vocation of Valledupar and the Department, in order to identify real strengths, to build probable scenarios and strategies to attract investment. We must be aware of our weaknesses, especially geographical isolation.
The problems of insecurity, unemployment, mobility, public transportation, territorial planning, citizen culture and discontinuity in the provision of public services are not easy to solve. Solving these problems in four years is practically a miraculous cause; insisting on this feat guarantees a ticket to failure. The ability to look long term is an important signal, even in the pre-election period. The changes in the territories do not stop, they are systems in constant evolution, ours coexists with urban fragility, characterized by the current crossroads, related to the challenges of cities, inherent to demographic growth, the change of its structure, climate change accelerated, growing inequality and poor habitability.
Luis Elquis Diaz
@LuchoDiaz12
