The International Seminar “Transforming Territories: Reflections on Dwelling in Small Localities”, organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urbanism (MINVU) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Chile, aimed to reflect and analyze the 10 years of implementation of the Small Localities Program.

Natalia Slachevsky, principal researcher at Rimisp – Latin American Center for Rural Development, participated in the panel discussion “The importance of local community dynamics in integral territorial transformations” where she began by highlighting that “we are very excited about this topic and also to celebrate today 10 years of a program that values the territories.we are very excited about this topic and to be able also to celebrate today 10 years of a program that values the territories.“.

When asked about how to preserve or make visible daily life in a territory, Slachevsky indicated: “I believe that the first thing to do is to go to the territories. Do not talk about a territory that you have not been to, that you do not know or that you know only from far away. It is very important to go back to the territories, listen to the people, listen to the communities; they really know what they need “.

In addition, the principal researcher addressed the relevance of valuing the communities own narratives. To illustrate this, she shared an experience of the Networks for Agri-Food Transformation” project, implemented by Rimisp in three Latin American countries: “Communities gave different narrative to agroecological. They did not talk about agroecological practices, they talked about projects of life versus projects of death, they talked about the image of a green territory versus a yellow territory. In the end, what they were talking about was what kind of life they wanted. I believe that giving space to these narratives helps to transform the territories”, he concluded.

10 years of the Small Localities Program

The seminar, held in the FAO auditorium, brought together authorities, territorial teams, academics and community leaders to analyze the impact of a decade of the Small Localities Program, which has been implemented in 124 localities of less than 20,000 inhabitants throughout Chile.

Georgiana Braga-Orillard, UNDP Resident Representative in Chile, highlighted the sense of pride “of having accompanied this process since its inception, celebrating a decade of committed work with the country’s most backward territories”..

Gabriela Elgueta, Undersecretary of Housing and Urban Development, pointed out the challenges ahead: “We must strengthen planning with a sense of proximity (…). Undoubtedly, this program, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary, must have a recognition”. .

The day also included a keynote speech by Paola Jirón, President of the National Council for Territorial Development, who spoke on “Territorial relevance in public policies”.