Just Resilience in Practice: Housing, Health and Trust in Times of Crisis
17. June 17:00 - 18:00
Plenary Area
This closing plenary brings the first day of the Forum to a people-centred conclusion, with a focus on resilient housing. Across Europe, climate impacts increasingly intersect with affordability pressures, health risks and growing distrust in institutions. The session explores what it takes for cities to protect those most affected by climate change while keeping resilience efforts fair, credible and socially legitimate.
Building on insights from the day’s discussions, the panel examines who current resilience measures are reaching and who they still miss, before turning to concrete examples of how housing can be treated as part of resilience policy rather than a separate field. The conversation will address the tensions that local leaders face: balancing climate goals with affordability and social cohesion, making difficult trade-offs under urgency, and ensuring that resilience measures measurably improve people’s everyday lives.
The high-level panel will be moderated by Natasha Walker, bringing together Mar Jimenez (Commissioner of European Affairs, City of Barcelona), Aline Machado Da Matta (UN-Habitat, Head of UNITAC), Valeriia Levchyshyna (Lviv City Institute), and Jack Saadeh (Mayor of Ramallah Municipality).
Speakers
Head of UN-Habitat's Liaison Office in Geneva, Head of UNITAC and Head of Data and Innovation Section
Aline Machado Da Matta, Head of UN-Habitat's Liaison Office in Geneva, Head of UNITAC and Head of Data and Innovation Section
Aline Machado Da Matta is a Senior Program Management Officer and the Head of UN-habitat's Liaison office in Geneva, Head of UNITAC and Head of Data and Innovation Section.
She has extensive experience in sustainable development, urban innovation, and regional transformation, with a solid track record in international and governmental organizations. Throughout her career, she has led high level projects that have supported cities and regions in implementing smart city initiatives focused on inclusive growth.
Her work stands out for adopting a territorial approach to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and strengthening the role of regional strategies in advancing the global urban agenda.
Commissioner for European Affairs, Barcelona City Council
Mar JimÉnez CarretÉ, Commissioner for European Affairs, Barcelona City Council
The Commissioner for European Affairs at Barcelona City Council, leads initiatives that connect local governments with European institutions, the Mayors for Housing coalition and the Mission 100 Climate Neutral Cities. She is also an Op-Ed Contributor for La Vanguardia, offering insights on European affairs and urban policies. Previously, she served as Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Barcelona, shaping international and green transition strategies. She played a key role in NetZeroCities, being senior coordinator focused on the city suport on behalf of Eurocities.
With over two decades of experience in government and media, she holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Barcelona and another in Communication from Universitat Ramon Llull. She pursued PhD studies in Economics and further honed her expertise at ESADE and INSEAD. Passionate about European values, she bridges policy-making, media influence, and city leadership for a fairer and more sustainable Europe.
Manager for Regional Development, City Institute
Valeriia Levchyshyna, Manager for Regional Development, City Institute
Valeriia Levchyshyna is the Regional Development Manager and Analyst at the City Institute in Lviv, Ukraine. As a specialist in war-context resilience for cities and community building, she works on the development of the municipal Urban Risk Assessment Tool and governance and financial policy models. Her published work includes ""Third Places in Kharkiv as a Tool for Community Resilience""
Additionally, she drives the Urban Workshop initiative in Lviv, which is the only participating tool for citizens from the City Council. Valeriia also leads organizing efforts for annual Ukrainian Resilience Week. At the EURESFO26 she will provide an on-site perspective on resilience, recovery, and the vital role of local governments under war.
Mayor, Ramallah Municipality
Jack Saadeh, Mayor, Ramallah Municipality
Jack Saadeh has served as Mayor of Ramallah since May 5, 2026, leading the municipality through a new term extending to 2030. A distinguished businessman and community leader, he brings extensive experience in leadership, administration, and institutional development.
Prior to assuming office, Mr. Saadeh served as President of the Ramallah Federation, where he played a key role in strengthening ties between the Ramallah diaspora, particularly in the United States, and their hometown in Palestine. He also fostered collaboration between expatriate communities and local institutions, supporting initiatives that contributed to the city’s development.
As Mayor, Mr. Saadeh is committed to advancing sustainable urban development, improving municipal services, strengthening good governance, and enhancing citizen engagement. His vision is to further position Ramallah as a leading Palestinian city recognized for innovation, resilience, and high-quality public services.
Master of Ceremony
Owner, Natasha Walker Associates
Natasha Walker, Owner, Natasha Walker Associates
Natasha is an expert on communication, focussing since 1995 on designing and facilitating complex dialogue processes. She enables effective strategy implementation, sustainable change and smart organisational development all over the world (and online!). She designs and facilitates long-term change and large-scale participation processes and is also a leading moderator of exclusive high-level discussions and workshops with and for corporate boards and governments. Natasha advises decision makers and scientific institutions on civic and stakeholder engagement across the globe.
She studied English Literature and Modern Languages (German) at Oxford University and at the University of Göttingen. She lives in Heidelberg with her family and dog.