Which #EURESFO26 thematic stream catches your eye?
People at the centre: Just resilience, housing, democracy
Strengthening the governance of resilience: unpacking regulation for local action and leveraging policy insights from the ground
Managing climate extremes in a place-sensitive way: holistic and landscape approaches for rural and local resilience
The tools we need: innovative financing mechanisms, AI and digital tools to enable resilience to compound risks
Day 1 -17. June 2026
Opening Plenary Day 1
Beyond Adaptation: Integrated Resilience for Place-based Climate Extremes
This opening plenary sets the tone for EURESFO26 by linking the Forum theme “Moving beyond adaptation” to place-based realities. With Guimarães as host, speakers explore how compound risks (heat, drought, flooding, wildfires and wider shocks) require holistic, landscape and locally grounded approaches. After opening remarks by ICLEI Europe, the EEA and the Mayor of Guimarães as well as a keynote, other European Mayors then unpack in a panel discussion what “integrated resilience” means in practice across all four thematic streams, highlighting real trade-offs, enablers and barriers to delivery.
Parallel Sessions day 1
From Vulnerability to Active Citizenship: Fostering Inclusive Decision-Making Towards Just Adaptation
How can communities’ agency be leveraged to influence risk-reduction and equitable adaptation? Which are the local challenges that difficult the application of just-resilience strategies to avoid exacerbation of inequalities? This session dives into the role of Local and Regional Governments (LRGs) in promoting equity-based governance and planning, placing the needs of vulnerable communities at the centre of decision-making dynamics. Specifically, it will look at the actions that empower communities to take an active role in shaping resilient territories, enhancing their adaptive capacities to deal with climate-related risks.
Bridging structures and breaking silos: how can administrations foster cooperation for an effective implementation of local adaptation solutions?
This session aims to discuss how to make resilience an integrated part of urban administration and break silos in the process, offering an opportunity to learn from network organisations and national/regional hubs on what works vs. does not work regarding governance and coordination across levels, sectors, and countries as well as share actional ideas of how to overcome barriers faced. Partners and government representatives from Adaptation Mission projects like REGILIENCE+ and AdaptationHubs will bring in their expertise and experiences with multi-level governance and coordination challenges, bottom-up engagement and solutions across hazard or adaptation topical contexts.
Enhancing water security in small, insular and climate-vulnerable communities.
This session will focus on enhancing water security for small, insular and climate-vulnerable communities by examining context-specific challenges and innovative approaches. Participants will discuss how to build resilient water systems that address climate impacts, limited resources and geographic constraints.
Opening the Resilience Toolbox: Solutions for Safer Urban Spaces
European cities are increasingly exposed to compound and cascading climate hazards affecting buildings, infrastructure, and urban systems, with disproportionate impacts on vulnerable communities. This session showcases tools and approaches tested in pilot cities in four Horizon Europe projects (MULTICLIMACT, MULTICARE, MINORITY REPORT, RETIME) to assess risks, prioritise resilience actions and improve preparedness. It highlights lessons, challenges, and opportunities to integrate solutions into urban planning systems.
Workshops Day 1
Regional Climate Resilience and Adaptation Pathways: Lessons Learnt and Policy insights from on the ground experience
This interactive workshop will bring together European regions to exchange experiences on turning climate resilience strategies into action. Participants will join thematic discussions on key aspects of regional resilience, including enabling a just transition, developing effective resilience pathways, strengthening adaptation governance, enabling effective learning on the Regional Resilience Journey (RRJ) through NbS implementation, and translating EU‑level climate risk insights into actionable pathways for regions.
Integrated & Holistic Resilience: Governing Place-Based Climate Action
How do cities move from integrated resilience frameworks to integrated resilience in practice? Drawing on experiences from European cities and projects working at the forefront of systemic climate action, this session explores what it takes to connect climate adaptation, nature-based solutions, cultural heritage, and community engagement across planning scales, and what governance conditions make that integration stick.
From Co-Creation to Co-Ownership: Meaningful Engagement in Urban Greening and Climate Resilience
This interactive workshop explores how cities approach participation in diverse communities to collaborate in decision‑making and stay involved in urban greening and climate resilience actions. Moving beyond co‑creation, the session uses a role‑play game based on real‑world challenges to simulate participatory scenarios with different stakeholders and reflect on how to build trust, co‑ownership, and sustained engagement in the design, implementation, and care of nature‑based solutions.
The MEL Clinic: Diagnosing and strengthening regional and local learning systems
This interactive workshop explores how Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) systems operates in practice at various levels of governance, from small municipalities to regional authorities. Participants will have a chance to share their challenges related to integrating MEL into climate resilience processes, with possible solutions then shared by experts and all other participants in a clinic-type format. The workshop will highlight how learning can drive adaptive action and strengthen long-term resilience.
Financing for Nature‑Based Solutions on Private Land
The session explores practical pathways to secure long-term financing for implementing NBS on private land and supportive policy frameworks. Participants will examine how local governments can effectively engage and negotiate with private landowners, and how financing models can encourage more nature-positive economic activities while reducing harmful subsidies. The discussion will build around public–private co-investment models and other financial instruments that promote NBS.
Homes for all in a changing climate
How can we ensure affordable homes and neighbourhoods are also resilient to climate change? This session explores how cities integrate social justice and resilience into housing through design, materials, nature-based solutions, and planning. From building orientation to zoning, participants will discuss practical approaches, barriers, and actions to deliver climate-resilient, affordable living for all within planetary boundaries.
Closing Plenary Day 1
Just Resilience in Practice: Housing, Health and Trust in Times of Crisis
This closing plenary synthesises the day through a people-centred lens, with a special focus on resilient housing (and conflict) and what was learned in the Mayors’ Roundtable. Within a plenary discussion between different mayors, it will be explored how cities can protect vulnerable groups, align housing and resilience policy and maintain trust and legitimacy under urgency, connecting justice, wellbeing and democratic resilience.
Day 2 - 18. June 2026
Opening Plenary Day 2
EU Framework to Local Delivery: Governing Resilience Across Levels
Co-organised with the European Commission, this plenary connects the Forum’s multi-level governance stream with the EU’s way forward on resilience. It explores how the forthcoming EU Climate Resilience and Risk Management Integrated Framework can translate into practical, locally grounded action, spotlighting on multi-level governance, planning and partnerships that break silos. The discussion focuses on a recurring gap: we often have strong risk data, plans and solutions, yet implementation still lags. What needs to change in mandates, coordination, capacity and accountability to move from knowing to doing?
Parallel sessions day 2
Climate change, Conflict and Displacement: The Ripple Effect
This session examines how the intersecting crises of climate change, conflict, and displacement reshape human mobility, security, energy supply, housing systems, natural eco-system and essential service delivery in fragile and post-conflict settings as well as bordering countries? Drawing on insights from ICLEI member municipalities in Palestine, Jordan, Ukraine, Poland and others, we aim to highlight on urban governance challenges and resilience-building opportunities at the local level, providing a focal focus to analyse climate-sensitive reconstruction, inclusive green recovery, and democratic participation strategies within the wider Pan-European multi-crisis context.
From megatrends to strategic foresight at local level: Addressing urban resilience
Global megatrends such as climate change, rapid technological development and geopolitical shifts are reshaping the risk landscape for cities. This session examines the role of strategic foresight and scenario planning in helping local governments anticipate change rather than merely react to crises. Drawing on experiences from Baltic Sea Region cities, the discussion will explore how foresight tools can inform policy, planning and long-term urban resilience.
The two sides of AI: AI for resilience or resilience from AI
Cities are at the forefront of both deploying and navigating with artificial intelligence (AI). This session explores the dual nature of AI in urban climate action: as a powerful enabler of resilience, helping cities address climate vulnerability, tackle energy poverty, and strengthen adaptive capacity, and as a source of new systemic risks that must be governed responsibly. The also session discusses governance approaches and partnerships that allow cities to harness AI's potential while embedding safeguards, including inclusive data practices, public oversight mechanisms, and alignment with national, regional and local regulatory frameworks.
Integrated approaches for Wildfire protection
Wildfires and extreme heat are increasingly shaping the risk landscape for cities across Southern and Central Europe, as illustrated by the severe 2025 season in Portugal and Spain. Drawing on the experience of Guimarães and other cities, this session examines how local and regional authorities are addressing wildfire risk in urban and peri-urban areas through integrated approaches combining nature-based reforestation, AI-supported tools, and coordination with civil protection and communities, while exploring governance challenges for long-term resilience.
Workshops Day 2
Winning the Climate Narrative: Disinformation, Trust, & the Politics of Resilience. Is this possible?
Who controls the climate story? Climate resilience is hindered by gaps between scientific knowledge and public understanding, worsened by declining trust in media and rising disinformation. Coverage is often reactive, fragmented, and disconnected from communities. Resilience communication must become continuous, local, and trust-based, strengthening preparedness, accountability, and long-term public engagement.
Financing climate resilience: Bridging pathways, projects, and investment
This workshop explores how cities and regions can move from climate risk assessments and adaptation pathways toward bankable resilience investments. Drawing on practical experiences from ongoing climate‑resilience initiatives, it will highlight key steps such as project identification, costing, investment structuring, stakeholder engagement, and capability development, as well as how co‑benefits can strengthen the financial case for adaptation. The session aims to identify solutions to bridge the gap between resilience planning and finance through interactive exchange among participating regions.
Planning for Resilient Landscapes: Linking Water Management and Soil Health through NbS
This interactive workshop brings together regional and local authorities to explore how Nature-based Solutions can enhance water resilience and healthy soils at landscape scale. Through real cases, participants will exchange on implementation, planning tools, and governance approaches, identifying key enablers and pathways to integrate soil and water objectives into local and regional planning.
Greener regions, real impact: Beyond the Buzzword to make Nature-based Solutions work
Nature-based Solutions are widely recognised for addressing climate challenges, yet the concept often remains broad and inconsistently applied. This interactive workshop explores how to clarify, accelerate and mainstream NBS across Europe’s diverse regions. Through a World Café format, participants will engage in small-group exchanges across thematic tables, rotating between discussions and concluding with a collective reflection on key takeaways.
Co-organised by the NBS4EU Network, the session will also mark the launch of the CARDIMED Resilience Alliance, strengthening collaboration and systemic transformation in line with EU Adaptation goals.
Empowering cities with digital tools: roadmaps for accelerating climate resilience and risk-informed planning
Digital tools such as digital twins are increasingly part of urban management and local decision-making processes, optimising climate resilience, adaptation and risk-informed planning. However, technical and institutional barriers can limit the integration such tools into existing planning processes. This hands-on workshop brings city representatives and participants together to discuss actionable roadmaps for the long-term integration of digital tools in city management processes.
Navigating (non)-binding policies across governance levels: the nitty gritty for local and regional authorities
The Nature Restoration Regulation mandates no net loss of urban green space and tree canopy cover by 2030 at the national level. The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 enlists all cities with populations of 20,000 to create Urban Nature Plans. The EU Soil Monitoring Law aims to ensure healthy soils by 2050. But which of these targets are legally binding, to which levels of governance do they apply, and what are the legal obligations of local and regional authorities? Join EU policy experts and city representatives in a conversation around the opportunities and challenges these varied legal environments present cities. Learnings will be integrated in upcoming policy briefs on Urban Nature Plans and spatial planning.
Closing Plenary day 2
Scaling What Works: Finance and Tools for Resilience Beyond Pilots
The final plenary closes EURESFO26 by synthesising the Forum’s key insights and translating them into a forward-looking action message. Building on what emerged across sessions and the World Cafés, it focuses on the tools needed to move beyond adaptation and scale integrated resilience in practice: innovative financing and investment models, AI and digital solutions, as well as the partnerships that connect governance, technology and communities. The discussion highlights what should be prioritised to protect citizens from compound and cascading risks, especially for small and medium-sized cities, while keeping accountability, inclusion and public value at the centre.