Closing remarks for #EURESFO24
27 June 17:45 - 18:30
Location: Sala Joaquín Rodrigo
As the 11th edition of EURESFO comes to an end, we gather to reflect on the significant strides made over the past two days. This closing plenary brings together distinguished experts and practitioners who have been instrumental in shaping the discussions on resilience and sustainability. Through a series of insightful reflections, we will synthesize the outcomes from our thematic streams and set the stage for future initiatives. Our aim is to reinforce our collective commitment to making European cities more resilient, adaptive, and climate-neutral, while addressing the unique challenges faced of regions facing conflicts like Ukraine.
Speakers
Senior Expert Advisor, City of Zagreb
Iva Bedenko, Senior Expert Advisor, City of Zagreb
Currently working in Zagreb City government and as secretary of Europan Croatia. Works on implementation of EU-funded projects, including currently running CoFarm4Cities and recently finished proGIreg, which focuses on implementing nature based solutions in post-industrial city areas. Also worked as part of the team that produced the City of Zagreb Master Plan 2000+, and the Strategies of development of the City of Zagreb and Zagreb Urban Agglomeration.
She holds a Master's degree in Architecture from the Zagreb School of Architecture. Before joining the City of Zagreb, Iva has worked at several architectural design practices in Zagreb.
Regional Director Europe & Managing Director, ICLEI Europe
Wolfgang Teubner, Regional Director Europe & Managing Director, ICLEI Europe
Wolfgang Teubner is responsible for the strategic and economic development of the ICLEI in Europe. He has more than 25 years of professional experience working with local governments on sustainable urban development, climate adaptation and mitigation, Local Agenda21, waste management, as well as sustainable urban transport policies. During his career he has been involved in more than 150 European and international projects, including several research activities. In the period between 1994 and 1999 he coordinated the ICLEI‘s European Cities for Climate Protection Campaign and ICLEI‘s European Local Agenda 21 Guidance and Training Programme. From the start in 1994 he has been involved in the European Sustainable Cities and Towns Campaign and has participated in the drafting of the Aalborg Charta as well as the Aalborg Commitments and the 2016 Basque Declaration. Between 1999 and 2004 he has represented the Local Government sector on the European Environment and Health Committee and has been a speaker at many high-level international events including the European Council of Ministers.
Head of City Resilience Global Programme, UN-Habitat (Spain)
Esteban Leon, Head of City Resilience Global Programme, UN-Habitat
Mr. Esteban Leon is a Bolivian national with over 20 years of international professional experience in managing sustainable urban development in UN-Habitat. His main areas of expertise are economics, finance, housing and settlements, urban and climate resilience, programme management,reconstruction projects, and institutional strengthening programmes for improved urban governance.He has been representing UN-Habitat in the Humanitarian Inter-Agency Standing Committee in Geneva(2005-2013),Chair of the IASC Meeting Humanitarian Challenges in Urban Areas Group (2010-13), Chair of the Urban Resilience Medellin Collaboration as well as Chair of the Making Cities Resilient Campaign Steering Committee. Currently UN-Habitat global focal point for the UN-Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). He has developed, fundraised, initiated, managed projects on human settlements recovery in Angola, Mozambique, Pakistan, Peru, Colombia, Georgia, Gaza, Haiti, El Salvador, Samoa, Syria, Philippines, and Ecuador.
EU Mission for Adaptation, Board Member Global Chief Heat Officer, UN-Habitat and Atlantic Council
Eleni "Lenio" Myrivili, EU Mission for Adaptation, Board Member, Global Chief Heat Officer, UN-Habitat and Atlantic Council
Dr. Eleni ""Lenio"" Myrivili is Global Chief Heat Officer for the Atlantic Council’s Arsht-Rock Resilience Center and the UN-Habitat. She is dedicated to fostering heat resilience in cities worldwide and was recognized among Nature’s 10 people who helped shape science in 2023 as well as Earth.Org Women Leading the Fight Against Climate Change.
She is a member of the EU Mission Board for Adaptation at the European Commission, a Heat Resilience Advisor to the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM), serves on the Advisory Board for the WEF Global Risks Report, and a member of WEF’s Global Future Council for the Future Economics of Equitable Transition. She recently became an IUR Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, where she was honored with the 2023 Lawrence C. Nussdorf Urban Leadership Prize.
In 2014 Myrivili was elected to city government and appointed as Athens’ Deputy Mayor for Urban Nature, Urban Resilience, and Climate Adaptation. During her tenure and then subsequently from a senior advisor position, she served as Athens’ Chief Resilience Officer and Chief Heat Officer, contributing to the city's leading role in international urban climate adaptation efforts. Following her term in city government, she also became a resident Loeb Fellow 2020 at Harvard University, was contracted as a heat expert by the World Bank and co-chaired the Steering Committee of the Resilient Cities Network.
Dr. Myrivili's climate resilience expertise has earned her international recognition, including a TED talk Global and an invitation to speak to the House of Commons in British Parliament, while she features in prominent media outlets like CNN and NHK World, the New York Times, Monocle, and Politico.eu where she was part of Politico's 28 list for 2022 of most influential Europeans. Formerly, she was a tenured University Professor and holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Columbia University.
Moderator
Head of Resilience and Climate Adaptation, ICLEI Europe
Vasileios Latinos, Head of Resilience and Climate Adaptation, ICLEI Europe
Vasileios Latinos, is Head of Resilience and Climate Adaptation at ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, European Secretariat. Vasileios is a climate resilience expert and project coordinator, with 14 years experience, working with local and regional governments throughout Europe. He is responsible for the management and coordination of projects and services in the topical areas of climate change adaptation, urban resilience and disaster risk reduction and leading the programmatic development of ICLEI in this field.