Financing a resilience partnership in Europe and beyond
15. September 16:30 - 18:00
This session is aimed at addressing the key objectives of developing a European Resilience Partnership, that can helpsupport cities in their resilience journey, upscaling the impact of existing innovations, mainstream climate adaptation and resilience in Europe and beyond. As Global and regional partners come together, building stronger synergies with the 2030 Global Agendas, and defining the principles of partnership financing for resilience building, comes as key actions to help explore the challenges and opportunities facing cities in achieving their climate adaptation targets and implementing their action plans. As local governments, cities and businesses are leveraging innovative financing mechanisms like emissions trading systems, green bonds, and climate funds to pay for necessary infrastructure upgrades and climate mitigation initiatives, addressing the questions: Resilience of What and Resilience to What through a European partnership, will help build the institutional capacities for adaptation co-benefit measurements, and advance human capital required to guide asset allocation decisions-making for long-term climate risk adjusted returns. What is needed to establish this Partnership, How it can be formed, and What are the roles and responsibilities of different partners are all key questions to be addressed, to take our partnership forward. Aimed at enhancing access to investment capital and financing data for climate resilience projects, strengthening collaboration and coordination between local, regional and international actors, this Partnership will accelerate the impact of climate finance provided by Multilateral Development Banks, while establish a learning platform to exchange knowledge, leverage funds and existing tools to monitor, evaluate, compare, and report cities contributions to adaptation financing, help achieve our resilience ambitions and targets, and take away key messages for building sustainable communities and regions at COP27.
Speakers
Programme Management Officer, UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
Andrew Bower, Programme Management Officer, UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
Andrew is Team Leader for Risk Governance at UNDRR Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, and the Regional Coordinator of the Making Cities Resilient 2030 Initiative. He has worked for UNDRR since 2018, covering both engagement on national and local resilience through Sendai Framework implementation and monitoring across the 55 member countries of the Europe and Central Asia Region.
He previously worked for the European Commission’s Directorate General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), in charge of DRR and urban resilience. Andrew builds on experience in academia as Visiting Research Fellow working on EU external relations and in the non-profit sector influencing EU external policies and instruments.
Andrew holds a Master’s degree from King's College London and a Bachelor degree from the University of Birmingham. He is married and has two sons.
Deputy Regional Director - Sustainable Resources, Climate & Resilience, ICLEI European Secretariat
Holger Robrecht, Deputy Regional Director - Sustainable Resources, Climate & Resilience, ICLEI European Secretariat
Holger joined ICLEI in 1997. He holds a Diploma in spatial planning and is member of ICLEI’s Board of Directors, and leads ICLEI´s Sustainable Resources, Climate & Resilience team. Holger holds more than 25 years of experience in local environmental and sustainability management and planning, project development and co-ordination, team supervision as well as guidance and training. He developed, supervised and coordinated international and European projects including on urban resilience, climate adaptation, nature-based solutions and green infrastructures through various research projects and engaged with studies such as the European Environment Agency’s report on ‘Urban adaptation to climate change in Europe 2016’ and the ‘EKLIPSE Impact Evaluation Framework’.
Senior Technical Advisor, Council of Europe Development Bank
Elisa Muzzini, Senior Technical Advisor, Council of Europe Development Bank
Elisa Muzzini is currently Senior Technical Advisor for Urban and Regional Development at the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB). Prior to joining the CEB, she was a Senior Economist at the World Bank where she managed lending, analytical and policy advisory services in the field of urban development and water supply, with a focus on the South Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean regions. Early in her career, Elisa worked for the economic consulting firm OXERA in the UK. She received a graduate degree in Economics with a concentration in public financial policy from the London School of Economics and a BA in Economics from Bocconi University in Italy.
Director, Arnhem-Nijmegen Green Metropolitan Region
HarriËt Tiemens, Director, Arnhem-Nijmegen Green Metropolitan Region
Harriët Tiemens is director of the Green Metropolitan Region Arnhem-Nijmegen. The Green Metropolitan Region is growing towards 800.000 inhabitants and represents eighteen municipalities. The region faces the challenge of dealing with growing housing, working and mobility by finding the balance between metropolitan power and a relaxed quality of life: green growth. The region is also famous for its fast bike path network and hosting Velo-city, Nijmegen European Green Capital and the 2020 Polis Conference. Harriët Tiemens has served as Deputy Mayor for the City of Nijmegen for seven years until September 2021. She was responsible for Sustainability, Housing and Mobility. Heading the campaign to become European Green Capital 2018, she has represented Nijmegen in a number of international and European conferences and meetings, such as the COP, the EU Urban Agenda, the Austrian World Summit, GlobeEU, EcoProcura, Polis and meetings with the European Parliament and European Commission. Tiemens studied Environmental Science and Public Administration.
Regional Director EME, Resilient Cities Network
Lina liakou, Regional director eme, resilient cities network
Lina Liakou leads the resilience practice in Europe and the Middle East for the Resilient Cities Network, working with member cities across the region in developing their resilience thinking through long term City Resilience Strategies and actionable initiatives. Before joining the Network, Lina was Deputy Mayor and Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Thessaloniki, Greece. As a Deputy Mayor, Lina Liakou initiated collaborations with the European Commission, the EIB and the World Bank.
Head of Adaptation Unit - DG Clima, European Commission
Elena Visnar-Malinovska, Head of Climate Adaptation & Resilience Unit - DG Clima, European Commission
Elena Višnar Malinovská is currently a Head of the climate adaptation & resilience unit in DG Climate Action of the European Commission leading on the new Strategy for climate adaptation (2021) and the Horizon Europe Mission on Adaptation. She was also responsible for the European Climate Pact as a new major citizen engagement on climate action. She works for 17 years in the European Commission in different positions. As a policy officer in the Secretariat General, she dealt with environment, energy, mobility and climate policies (2005-2010, 2014-2016). In the Cabinet of Commissioner responsible for environment (2010-2014), she spearheaded the review of the air quality legislation as well as oversaw the infringements policy in the environment field. During the Slovak Presidency (2016), she acted as a spokesperson for the Council. She holds a law degree from the Comenius and Thyrnaviens universities in Slovakia and diplomas from European studies (SciencePo in Paris, College of Europe in Poland). An enthusiast cyclist (female winner of VéloMai competition in the Commission in 2018, 2019 and 2022, longest distance in 2020, in 2021 and in 2022), runner, mother of three hockey players, a scout leader and supporter of participatory leadership.
Strategic Communications and Advocacy Lead, Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy
Marnie McGregor, Strategic Communications and Advocacy Lead, Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy
Marnie leads strategic communications and advocacy for the Global Covenant ofMayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM). With more than two decades of urban affairs experience, she provides government relations, strategic communications, advocacy and engagement advice on a broad range of topics. She has worked for two large North American municipalities, served four mayors, and lived in five global cities. Marnie is an experienced public speaker and moderator, including at The Economist Sustainability Summit and the New York Times Athens Democracy Forum. She has a Master of Science in Urban Planning from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Geography from Queen’s University at Kingston.
Moderator
Senior Officer, Urban Resilience and Climate Adaptation, ICLEI Europe
Nuha Eltinay, Senior Officer, Urban Resilience and Climate Adaptation, ICLEI Europe
Nuha is a Senior Urban Resilience and Climate Adaptation Officer at ICLEI European Secretariat. She has worked previously as a Senior Urban Specialist at the World Bank (Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience and Land) Global Practice, and held the position of the Director of Urban Planning and Sustainable Development at the Arab Urban Development Institute (Regional NGO), working closely with the UNDRR Regional Office and local governments in developing their risk governance strategies and resilience action plans as part of the Disaster Resilience Scorecard assessments in 25 Arab cities.
She has received her PhD in Urban Resilience from London South Bank University, and MSc from the University of Westminster in International Planning and Sustainable Development. Nuha publishes research with special interest in embedding inclusive community led participatory planning and co-design solutions into DRR and Climate Adaptation policy in the most fragile settings, leaving no one behind.