Cities Mission Conference 2024 "Empowering cities – The Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission in Action"

The conference attracted over 400 on-site participants, including representatives from nearly 100 cities. Climate-KIC and EPLO actively participated in various sessions to foster connections between the two Missions, their strategies, and the territories they cover. From DesirMED's perspective, two key highlights stood out:

• The launch of the Climate Capital Hub, an international financial resource designed to support cities on their path to climate neutrality. Discussions focused on the implementation of multi-purpose investments that address both mitigation and adaptation needs.
• The broader cooperation between the Missions of Climate Neutrality and Climate Adaptation aimed at accelerating the transition, maximizing impacts and benefits, and generating momentum.

European Urban Resilience Forum 2024: Connecting Cities, Building Resilience, Forging the Future

The European Urban Resilience Forum 2024 (EURESFO) "Connecting Cities, Building Resilience, Forging the Future" took place between 26-28 June 2024. This year’s edition was organized in the framework of the Valencia Cities Climate Week, together with the Cities Mission Conference and the Energy Cities' Annual Forum, co-organized and hosted by the City of Valencia, as part of the Valencia EU Green Capital 2024 celebrations. 

Organised by ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability and the European Environment Agency (EEA), it has been acting as a unique exchange platform in the field of resilience. The event brought together city representatives, experts, and stakeholders from local and regional institutions to discuss strategies, initiatives, and actions affiliating to climate change adaptation, disaster management, and the cultivation of urban resilience.

EURESFO was built around four key thematic streams:

• Multilevel governance, cooperation and just transition: resilience leaves no one behind. 
• Water resilience and the Blue Economy in and beyond the Mediterranean region
• Enabling the transformation to resilient, adaptive and climate-neutral cities
• The Roadmap from Humanitarian Response to Post-conflict Resilience and Recovery

DesirMED partners EPLO, Tecnalia, Climate-KIC, Region SUD, the Region of Potenza and the Region of Valencia joined this unique occasion to discuss challenges and opportunities for strengthening resilience and sustainable development. A key take home message was that climate action requires a synergistic effort between adaptation and mitigation at all levels.

In addition, EURESFO was an opportunity to further explore synergies with sister projects, funded under the Mission for Adaptation to Climate Change, and other relevant projects.

During the session "Rising to the Challenge: Nature-Based Solutions for Water Resilience in Europe", organised by our sister project CARDIMED, Alexia Spyridonidou from the EPLO participated in a workshop coordinated by Paola Lepori, Policy officer for NBS in the EC (DG RTD). The workshop focused on the Nature Restoration Law and its connection to systemic drivers and barriers for adopting nature-based solutions to enhance resilience, a core focus of the DesirMED project. 

Link to the EURESFO24 website.