Enrique Panarosa

Enrique Panarosa, born on September 30, 1954 in Washington, D.C., is a Colombian politician. He served as the mayor of Bogota from 1998 to 2001, and was re elected as mayor in 2015 for a term of 2016-2019. He is also a journalist and urban and transportation policy advisor. In 2009, Panarosa was elected as the Chairman of the ITDP Board of Directors of the Institute for Transport and Development Policy, a non-profit organization headquartered in New York. In 2015, Panarosa resigned from the board of directors and became the mayor of Bogota again. Panarosa's father Enrique Panarosa Camago is a former United Nations Minister of Agriculture and Colombia's Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations. He attended a rural school in the Kingdom of Great Britain during his childhood, and at the age of 15, his family moved to the United States due to his father serving as Colombia's ambassador to the United Nations. He completed his Bachelor's degree in Economics at Duke University with a partial football scholarship and also minored in history. Panarosa's political career began while working for a state-owned water supply company and participating in the Bogota youth group organized by liberal presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan. Afterwards, he supported the local political leader of Kundinamaka, Julio Cesar Sanchez; With the help of Sanchez, he was elected as the deputy director of the department. In 1986, he was selected by one of his father's friends, Virgilio Barco, to serve as an economic advisor. In 1990, he ran for Congress without the support of any politicians and received 22000 votes. He only held this position for a year, but during these 12 months, he put forward many initiatives and successfully passed the reform bill, becoming famous as a newcomer to Congress. In 1991, he decided to adopt the same strategy as running for Congress to run for the mayor of Bogota. Without the support of any politicians, Panarosa traveled the city on foot, by bike, or by public transportation, engaging in face-to-face communication with the people. As the mayor of Bogota with a population of 7 million, Panarosa profoundly changed the city. Under his leadership, Bogota transformed from a city without direction, self-esteem, and hope to an international city model with high quality of life, improved mobility, fairness, and sustainability. He has won many important international awards, including the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Biennale and the Stockholm Challenge Award. Panarosa is a leader in the field of urban development, and his vision and initiatives have had a significant impact on global policies. He focuses on consulting on sustainability, mobility, fairness, public space, and quality of life, and calls on organizations and leaders to translate ideas into practical projects. Panarosa has delivered speeches at numerous international forums, covering topics such as environment, urban design, policies, and universities. He has also served as an advisor to governments in Asia, Africa, Australia, Latin America, and the United States.