Latin America and Caribbean Regional Dialogue on Walking | Belo Horizonte 2026

Walk21 Regional Dialogues 2026

Walking in the UN Decade of Action for Sustainable Transport

📅 3–5 November 2026 📍 Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brasil

Building a shared Latin American and Caribbean pathway for walking within the UN Decade of Action for Sustainable Transport.

The dialogue will bring together governments, cities, researchers, practitioners, civil-society organisations and development partners to position walking as a core transport priority and turn the Decade’s global ambition into practical, equitable action across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Global call for contributions

Share your knowledge and experience

Contribute research, practical experience, case studies, tools or community perspectives to the Walk21 Regional Dialogues and Walking Cities Labs 2026.

About the event

Why this dialogue matters

Walking is essential to everyday mobility across Latin America and the Caribbean, yet it is still too often overlooked in transport planning, investment, data and street design.

The UN Decade of Action for Sustainable Transport is an opportunity to change this. The Dialogue will help turn this global commitment into a shared regional pathway, connecting ambition with national and local action.

This is why we are also celebrating the launch of the Walking Cities Lab’s (WCL) Latin America and the Caribbean Living Laboratory , our regional anchor for the WCL’s mission to make walking a global priority as a core part of VREF’s Walking as a Mode of Transport programme.

The launch is a space for co-producing actionable knowledge, building capacity and expanding communities of learning and practice with researchers, governments, civil society and practitioners in all sectors. Dialogue participants will help shape the Lab’s agenda, share their knowledge and experience, and become founding partners in our regional communities of knowledge and practice to make walking a global priority.

1

Define regional priorities

Identify shared challenges, opportunities and measurable outcomes for walking.

2

Connect research and action

Bridge evidence, community knowledge and practical implementation.

3

Strengthen implementation

Clarify the roles of regional institutions, governments, cities and funders.

4

Build partnerships

Grow a lasting regional community working to make walking a priority.

Participation

Who should attend?

Government and cities

National and local government representatives, city officials, transport planners and public-space teams.

Research and education

Researchers, universities, postgraduate students and early-career scholars working on walking and urban mobility.

Practice and advocacy

Civil society, road-safety and active-mobility advocates, practitioners, funders and international organisations.

Plan your participation

Practical information

Dates 3–5 November 2026
Venue Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Location Belo Horizonte, Brasil
Language English

Registration

Registration information, participation fees and attendance conditions will be published here.

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Accommodation

Hotel and accommodation recommendations for participants attending the event at UFMG.

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