Coastal settlements range from small settlements to small island states with maritime populations and/or beaches and atolls that are major tourist attractions, large cities that are major transport and financial hubs in coastal deltas, to megacities and even megaregions with several coastal megacities.
As we face the urgent impacts of climate change, these communities are already facing grave hazards. The Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) mentions involuntary displacement and migration among the many adverse impacts of climate change and notes the ocean-driven coastal risks to people, land and infrastructure in places associated with higher inequality and high growth rates, especially in deltas, which leads to vulnerability and exposure. Rapidly urbanizing coastal areas are at particularly high risk of losses due to their location and exposure to extreme natural events including tides and waves, storms, and erosion.
This workshop will explore how the future of sustainable cities and resilient communities depends on increased community engagement, strengthening of social capital, and leveraging of local resources in addition to improving infrastructure and services by governments and development organizations. We’ll particularly focus on partnerships as a solution, exploring entry points for partnerships between local and regional governments and partners such as ICLEI, Red Cross/Red Crescent National Societies, and others, to create coalitions to create resilient and people-centered global coastal cities.
Speakers:
- Alex Hai Zhang, Secretary General, Eco Foundation Global
- Annemie Denzer-Schulz, Portfolio Manager, Sustainable Urban Development & Water, KfW Development Bank
- Eva Yeung, Sr. Manager Community Resilience, Hong Kong Red Cross (to be confirmed)
- Gregory T. Blamoh, Secretary General, Liberian Red Cross
- Irene Galindo Roman, Deputy Mayor Los Cabos, Mexico; ICLEI Global Executive Committee Member, Resilient Development Portfolio
- Jonathan Stone, Manager, Climate, Environment and Resilience Unit, IFRC
- Mxolisi Kaunda, Mayor, City of eThekwini, South Africa
- Niniek Kun Naryatie, Board member on International Relations, Indonesia Red Cross Indonesia
- Salomar Mafaldo, General Coordinator for Sustainable Cities, Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Brazil
- Thiago Mesquita, Secretary of Environment, City of Natal, Brazil
- Rodrigo Corradi, Deputy Executive Secretary, ICLEI South America Secretariat
Moderator:
Aynur Kadihasanoglu, Senior Urban Specialist, IFRC/American Red Cross
Click here for the full speakers list
