ICLEI Delegation Visits Basque Country

Post by Meritxell Diaz Santos

An international delegation from ICLEI, led by Stefan Kuhn, Deputy Regional Director of the ICLEI European Secretariat, recently visited the Basque Country to  finalise details for the programme of activities of the 8th European Conference on  Sustainable Cities and Towns, to be held in the Basque Country from 27 to 29 April  2016. Representatives from ICLEI – International Network of Local Governments  for Sustainability, visited the conference venues and the locations planned for the different sessions, workshops and events to be attended by over 1,000 people.

The purpose of the visit by the ICLEI delegation is to finalise plans for the conference programme and to further exchange and share information regarding the Basque Government strategy on the new Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development Goals, the Urban Agenda for Europe and application of the outcomes of the CoP21 Paris Climate Conference.

Stefan Kuhn, Deputy Regional Director of the ICLEI European Secretariat, has emphasized that “Europe is facing a series of social, economic and environmental  challenges requiring urgent transformative actions. In the wake of the latest international agreements, such as the Paris Agreement or the new United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, local governments have a key role to play in implementing local policies for urban transformation in terms of energy, social inclusion, accessibility, health, local production and resilience, to secure a sustainable, efficient and low-carbon economy. These transformative actions, designed to define the future of Europe, will be presented at the 8th European Conference on Sustainable Cities and Towns, to be held in the Basque Country one month prior to the adoption of the EU Urban Agenda”.

Outcomes of the Paris Climate Change Conference (CoP21)

Following the UN Summit Meeting for adopting the new Agenda for Development and the  CoP21 Paris Climate Change Conference (CoP) in December 2015, the 8th European Conference on Sustainable Cities and Towns will be the flagship event in Europe in 2016 for discussion and sharing experiences on local sustainability.

Around 1,000 representatives from local, regional and national governments, multilateral organisations, members of the research community, the private sector and civil society are expected to take part in the conference. The objective is for the Basque Country to be a meeting point for the exchange of knowledge, providing those who attend the conference with the opportunity to discuss issues such as local governance, urban potential, efficient cities adapted to the effects of climate change and the new Urban Agenda for Europe.

Further information and full details of the event at the official website:
www.basquecountry2016.eu