Urban Solutions: Learning from Cities’ Responses to COVID-19 Meeting 25 June
The UNESCO Cities Platform will host a public online discussion “Urban Solutions: Learning from Cities’ Responses to COVID-19” on the way cities, at the forefront of worldwide efforts to contain COVID-19, are responding to the pandemic, on Thursday 25 June, 1.30 to 5.00 pm Central European Time (GMT +2).
Participants from the eight programmes and networks involved with UNESCO Cities Platform, among others, will share their experiences in fighting the pandemic and address the fundamental questions COVID-19 is raising concerning sustainable and symbiotic urban development.
The meeting will focus on the Organization’s fields of expertise: education, culture, natural and social sciences, and communication and information. It will contribute to UNESCO’s comprehensive transversal approach to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in urban contexts and provide support to urban actors and decision-makers in mitigating the impact of COVID-19 and reflecting on the future of cities.
The online meeting will be opened by the Deputy Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Xing Qu and will bring together notable speakers such as Maria Francesca Merloni, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Creative Cities, Professor Carlos Moreno, Co-Founder and Scientific Director of the Entrepreneurship, Territory, Innovation Chair at Pantheon Sorbonne University (France), and French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, alongside diverse urban actors including mayors, local policymakers, professionals, NGOs and international institutions. The meeting will be concluded by the Assistant Director-General for Culture, Mr Ernesto Ottone R.
They will share experiences and explore how urban development policies and strategies can evolve to build the sustainable and resilient cities of tomorrow, drawing on the adaptability and innovation demonstrated by many cities during the pandemic.
The UNESCO Cities Platform is comprised of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC), the International Coalition of Inclusive and Sustainable Cities (ICCAR), World Heritage Cities Programme, Megacities Alliance for Water Climate, the Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Cities, UNESCO’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience Programme, and UNESCO/Netexplo Observatory.
Agenda of the meeting:
- 1:30 – 1:40 Introduction: Cities at the forefront of COVID-19 response and recovery
- 1:40 – 2:25 E-debate I: Cities’ Responses to COVID-19
- 2:25 – 3:10 E-debate II: Learning from Early Recovery
- 3:10 – 3:55 E-debate III: A More Resilient Future: Imagining the Cities of Tomorrow
- 3:55 – 4:40 Special session: Transformative City Tourism
- 4:40 – 5:00 Closing session