The Resilient Cities 2013 congress gathers momentum: register now!

Gathering over 400 mayors, city and government leaders, businesses, experts, practitioners and researchers from around the world, Resilient Cities 2013 – the fourth Global Forum on Urban Resilience and Adaptation is taking place in Bonn, Germany from 31 May to 2 June 2013.

This year, the Congress addresses urban resilience and adaptation with a highlight on urban food security. Other key themes include resilient building and construction, city planning, policymaking and governance, risk and vulnerability assessment, financing, disaster risk reduction and its post-2015 framework (HFA-2) as well as vulnerable urban communities – the social aspect of resilience.

Helen Clark, Head of UNDP, Margareta Wahlstroem, UNISDR’s Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction, and James Nxumalo, Mayor of Durban (South Africa) – a key figure in developing and furthering the implementation of the Durban Adaptation Charter, have become the latest co-patrons supporting the Congress.

Throughout the three-day Congress, selected cities will be featured in various panels, presentations and workshops, including, among others, Durban (South Africa), Seoul (Republic of Korea), Toronto (Canada), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Barisal (Bangladesh), Dumangas (Philippines), Copenhagen (Denmark), Vancouver (Canada), Belo Horizonte (Brazil) and New York (USA).

A congress draft program is now available. Early bird fees have been extended to 12 April 2013. Don’t miss the chance: register now!

Resilient Urban Food System Forum
For the first time, the Congress introduces a one-day forum on Resilient Urban Food Systems, where 10 leading cities will illustrate the need for local governments to put city-region food systems on the table.

Mayors Adaptation Forum
Gathering city leaders worldwide, the Mayors Adaptation Forum held on 1-2 June will see vibrant discussion on advocacy strategies and the sharing of challenges and success in implementing urban adaption policies. Mayors of Bonn (Germany), eThekwini Municipality-Durban (South Africa) and Nantes (France) are among our confirmed Forum participants.

Resilient Building and Construction Forum
Organized in cooperation with the World Green Building Council and FSC, this half-day forum will highlight the crucial role of the building and construction sector in achieving urban resilience with concrete case studies.

Open European Day
A day-long forum focusing on capacity building for urban stakeholders and city-to-city learning in the Europe, will be held on 3 June. The event is free of charge and welcomes participants from Europe or elsewhere to share their challenges and find solutions by exchanging ideas in an interactive setting with other city leaders and experts on urban practice and applied resilience science. Jointly organized by ICLEI, the European Commission and the European Environment Agency, the Open European Day coincides with the final conference of ‘EU Cities Adapt’, a key project on urban adaption in Europe that brings together 21 cities in different stages of working on adaptation to enhance climate change adaption across the region.

For more information on the congress program and side events including the IRENA workshop on renewable energy in cities, visit Resilient Cities 2013.

We look forward to welcoming you in Bonn!

Best regards

Alice Balbo
on behalf of the Resilient Cities 2013 team