Name: Sylvia Solís Lopéz
Age: 32
Location: Municipality of Ecatepec de Morelos, Mexico
Occupation: Deputy-Director of Attention to Vulnerable Groups

This network is an instrument to collect governance-related know-how

Official documents state that the municipality of Ecatepec de Morelos counts 1.7 million inhabitants. However, a more realistic estimate of the population would be around 2.5 million. The problem arising from this discrepancy is obvious: a structural lack of financial resources to tackle problems like overpopulation, poverty, insecurity, lack of water and decaying buildings.

But this won’t get me down. In my work for the municipality, I develop social programs for vulnerable groups like street children, teenage mothers and abused women. I also implement these programmes. Recently there was a writing workshop for women in prison: the autobiographies they wrote will be published next July.

For my country to recover socially and economically, we have to start at a local level. Municipalities know best the needs of their inhabitants. At the moment there is still a huge lack of good governance, training budgets and knowledge among civil servants. 

So far, perseverance is my solution against the shortage of economic and human resources. But now the Talent for Governance Network could very well be the best way to get access to the know-how of local governance all over the world.

Mexico has almost 2500 municipalities. If each one could be governed with good technical assistance and professional expertise, maybe then poverty and inequality could be overcome. Professional practical training is crucial to bring up these experts!’