Connecting the Region: The Inspiring Action LAC Workshop in Panama

Last month, 25 professionals from across Latin America and the Caribbean gathered in Panama City for a two-day workshop designed to strengthen walking and cycling policies across the region.

In 2025, CAF, Walk21, and the FIA Foundation, in collaboration with UNEP, launched the Inspiring Action LAC project; a regional initiative to build a coordinated community of national and local governments committed to promoting walking and cycling as strategies for achieving broader goals in transport, climate, health, and gender equality. A core objective of the project was to establish the Latin America and the Caribbean working network (ALC-CC): a space to connect people, build on existing efforts across countries, share preliminary findings from the project’s policy review and data collection, and strengthen capacity through peer learning and technical exchange. The network was conceived as a platform to foster collaboration, amplify local voices, and ensure that the project’s outputs respond to real-world needs across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). 

In February 2026, Walk21 convened the network’s first in-person workshop in Panama City, a two-day event sponsored by the FIA Foundation, which brought together 24 participants from across the region (including network members from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay) alongside colleagues from CAF and UNEP. Together, they explored regional challenges and opportunities while serving as a practical platform for knowledge exchange.

A Region Connected by Common Challenges

From the opening session, it was clear that while each country faces unique contexts, the challenges are remarkably similar. Participants shared concerns about policy continuity during government transitions, gaps in road safety data, motorcycle safety, and the constant struggle to keep active mobility on the political agenda. Across the room, representatives from Paraguay, Costa Rica, Mexico, and others found common ground on the need to embed gender equity across all policies and projects.

Walk21 also shared preliminary findings from the project’s policy review, which identified 143 national policies across 33 countries and different sectors (transport, road safety, urban development, health, sports and recreation, environment, climate action and gender). The results revealed that 72% of policies found promote walking and cycling. Of these, almost half (48%) specifically name walking and/or cycling, while the remaining 24% promote active mobility indirectly (for example through public transport improvement, road safety measures, or universal accessibility) without explicitly mentioning these modes. These policies often operate in silos across sectors, missing critical opportunities for coordination and greater impact.

Turning Learning into Action

Over the two days, participants worked through Walk21’s eight-step framework for developing effective active mobility policies, learning how to build intersectoral commitment, address data gaps, design inclusive processes, and secure financing. They shared experiences and explored how each step could be adapted to their local contexts. Walkshops took the group into the streets of Panama City, where they experienced firsthand how infrastructure design shapes pedestrian safety, comfort, and accessibility. And country spotlights from Costa Rica and Mexico showcased how national policies and institutional frameworks are evolving across the region, while Brazil’s national walkability awards generated rich discussion on how recognition can elevate active mobility on the political agenda.

The workshop directly strengthened our stakeholder community while grounding the project’s broader analytical work in the real-world context of the region. Participants left with new tools, new connections, and a clearer sense of how to apply the eight-step framework in their daily work. The energy in the room reflected a shared commitment: to keep learning from each other, to break down silos, and to ensure that walking and cycling finally get the recognition, and investment, deserved.