ST JAMES, Jamaica – Deputy Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon is now in Denver, Colorado attending the 2023 Cities Summit of the Americas.

The event, which is scheduled to run from April 24 to 30, is also being attended by Mayor of Kingston, Delroy Williams and Mayor of Portmore, Leon Thomas.

According to a release on Thursday, the summit is intended to promote regional cooperation among cities across Latin America, the United State and the Caribbean on issues affecting the region.

Deputy Mayor Vernon will be presenting at a summit track session on Housing and Public Safety – Emerging Practices in Violence Prevention on Thursday, April 27, 2023.

“From my participation I hope to attract more Official Development Assistance (ODA) for projects we are currently working on in Montego Bay and to learn of best practices in other municipalities, in terms of how they go about achieving certain objectives and goals and how these objectives have impacted their spaces, to see how we can adopt similar approaches,” said Vernon.

The deputy mayor stated that he will also sign two declarations while at the summit. “I will be signing the Denver Declaration on City Priorities for Regional Cooperation and the Anti-Racist Cities Network and Anti-Racist Cities Pact,” said Vernon.

According to the deputy mayor, the “Denver Declaration on City Priorities for Regional Cooperation will be led by City of Denver Mayor Michael B Hancock; It is intended to advance mutual priorities across local communities, which include housing and sustainable development, migration, climate action, finance and investment, technology, and good governance.”

“The second declaration, the Anti-Racist Cities Network and Anti-Racist Cities Pact, which was launched by the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Eduardo Paes, will expand on the work of 26 Brazilian cities to promote collaboration on anti-racist initiatives,” added Deputy Mayor Vernon.

The Cities Summit of the Americas will see the convening of subnational leaders from across the entire Western Hemisphere with diverse and inclusive representatives of government, civil society, business, academia, youth, culture and the arts, and indigenous and underrepresented groups.

Events will include plenary sessions, stakeholder roundtables, expert panels, networking sessions, commercial engagements, and public outreach activities, all to address a range of priorities local communities across the Americas share.